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Updated: Sep 23, 2026
Retinal Pigment Epithelium Transplantation in a Non-human Primate Model for Degenerative Retinal Diseases
Published on: June 14, 2021
RPE cell transplants to non-immune-privileged sites of the eye transform into fibroblast-like cells
Tina Knoernschild1, Thomas Grasbon, Caren Wilsch
1Department of Anatomy II, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. anat2.gl@anatomie2.med.uni-erlangen.de
Purpose:
In vitreoretinopathy membranes and in vitro, RPE cells lose pigment and transform into fibroblast-like cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the immune privileged status of different eye compartments influence morphological changes of adult RPE cell transplants.
Methods:
RPE cells from adult C57BL/6 mice were transplanted either intravitreally (n = 31), subretinally (n = 28), intrachoroidally (n = 21) or subconjunctivally (n = 33) into one eye of BALB/c mice and intravitreally (n = 5) into rd-mice with loss of ACAID (14-16 months). Eyes were enucleated after 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks, and transplants investigated by light (n = 128) and electron microscopy (n = 40).
Results:
Allogeneic adult RPE cells lost pigment and transformed into spindle shaped cells when injected into the recipient subconjunctiva. In vitreous or subretinal space they remained rounded and pigmented. In the choroid, they were spindle shaped but contained more pigment and were larger than those in the conjunctiva. No inflammatory reaction in the uvea or development of epiretinal membranes was seen. In contrast, in all rd-mice an inflammation of the uvea and development of epiretinal membranes was observed.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that changes in the environment of RPE in single cell suspension dictate the phenotype the cells adopt. It is possible that changes in microenvironmental factors contribute to the pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinal (PVR) membranes.
