Evaluation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells growth on elastin-like recombinamers substrates

Purpose In our previous published data (J Biomed Mater Res A. 2011) it was shown that ARPE19 cells were growing well and maintaining certain characteristics of RPE cells on the Elastin-like recombinamers (ELR-IK, ELR-RGD). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the growth pattern of primary human RPE (hRPE) cells over these ELRs for possibility to start in-vivo study as a possible treatment for AMD. Methods hRPE cells were seeded on sterilized control surfaces (polystyrene, glass) as well as on ELR films that were obtained by solvent casting onto glass and subsequent cross-linking containing a bioactive sequence, RGD (ELR-RGD) and, without any specific sequence, as control (ELR-IK). Cells were analyzed to study cell adhesion, proliferation, morphology and specific RPE antigen (RPE65) expression by staining with DAPI, Rhodamin-phalloidin and antiRPE65 antibody at 12, 24, 72, 120, 168 and 360 hours. Results hRPE cells seeded on ELR-films as well as controls were proliferating; maintaining their similar morphology and expression of RPE65 antigen at different time points studied. Cells on ELR-RGD were growing better than that on ELR-IK and glass but lesser than that on polystyrene. The growth rate of hRPE cells over polystyrene and ELR-RGD surfaces was increasing with time intervals than glass and ELR-IK surfaces. There was a very clear difference of hRPE cells growth rate on different surfaces at 360 hours. Conclusion ELR-RGD was good substrate for hRPE cells growth and that maintained the similar morphology and RPE65 antigen expression as seen on control surfaces. These results require further in vitro and in vivo studies with hRPE cells to determine if ELR-RGD could be useful as a vehicle for transplantation of hRPE cells in patients with AMD.