A Pilot Study On Subretinal Transplantation Of Autogenous Schwann Cells In New Zealand Rabbits

Part I: Cultivation and purification of Schwann cells before subretinal transplantationPurpose To explore an efficient method of cultivation and purification of Schwann cells in vitro. The study aims at future clinical use to treat the retinal degenerative diseases through subretinal transplantation of Schwann cells.Methods Sciatic nerve explants were repeatedly cultivated and purified. Phase contrast microscopy, immunofluorescence and immnunocytochemistry were applied to observe cell morphological features and to identify the glia-specific marker protein S-100 of Schwann cell.Results The purity of Schwann cell population was up to 95% based on successive observation of cell soma with phase-contrast and proportion of S-100 immunopositive cells in cultures.Conclusions The method presented can provide large amount of pure Schwann cell populations for further research on retinal degeneration treatment.PartII: Subretinal transplantation of autogenous Schwann cellsPurpose To establish an experimental model of subretinal transplantation and to investigate the short-term survival of Schwann cells in the subretinal space of rabbits after autogenous grafting.Methods Cell suspensions of Schwann cells were injected into the subretinal space of the right eye of 8 New Zealand rabbits via transscleral approach. The left eye...