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Abstract
Degenerative retinal diseases are a leading cause of visual loss and irreversible blindness, particularly in the developed world. Retinal pigment cell (RPE) transplantation is nowadays considered the most promising therapeutic approach for certain retinal diseases, and the presence of a supportive scaffold has been considered essential to ensure the success of the implant. In this work, collagen IV was covalently immobilized to the surface of polyimide membranes, with the purpose of developing scaffold materials for RPE cell culture. The covalent modification method involved four steps: argon-plasma treatment, acrylic acid graft polymerization, surface activation, and finally immobilization of collagen type IV. Collagen-modified membranes did not become more rough but became significantly more hydrophilic than the unmodified and dip-coated controls. ARPE-19 cell morphology and attachment were studied by immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. Covalently modified surfaces showed cell attachment and cell properties comparable to the uncoated and dip-coated controls. This work demonstrated the potential of collagen IV-immobilized polyimide membranes as substrates for the growth of ARPE-19 cells.
Public Interest Statement
Neurodegenerative diseases of the retina are an increasingly common problem due to the worldwide aging population. Age-related macular degeneration, for instance, is one of the most prevalent diseases of the posterior eye and a leading cause of blindness in developed countries. This disease is characterized by the degeneration of a specific cell layer at the back of the eye—the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Currently, transplantation of cells using a supportive scaffold as cell carrier is considered the most promising means to restore the lost vision. In this work, the surface of polyimide membranes was chemically modified by immobilization of collagen, a natural component of the RPE basement membrane, having in mind the development of an appropriate environment for cell growth with stable presence of collagen. Biomaterial characterization studies and cell culture experiments demonstrated the potential of the newly developed materials as substrates for RPE cells.
Acknowledgments
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We thank PhD Niina Ahola, PhD Elli Käpylä and BSc Elina Pajula for the technical assistance.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Shokoufeh Teymouri
BioMediTech is a joint research institute between Tampere University of Technology and the University of Tampere that conducts world-class research in the fields of biomedicine and medical technology. The diversity of multidisciplinary research groups in BioMediTech has as common aim, the development of personalized medicine. The Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering group has a long tradition of developing biodegradable implants made from medical polymers and composites. The Eye group has been focusing on developing novel stem cell-based tools for corneal and retinal repair through cell transplantation and ophthalmic in vitro tissue models. For this project in particular, the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering group and the Eye group have been working together to create biodegradable scaffolds for the regeneration of the retina.
