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Progenitor cells promote normal vascularization in mouse model of ROP
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Progenitor cells derived from human bone marrow repaired the retinal vasculature in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy of prematurity, a recent study found.
Martin Friedlander, MD, PhD, of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and colleagues found that adult bone-marrow-derived myeloid progenitor cells migrated to avascular regions of ischemic retinas and differentiated into microglia, promoting normal vascularization in a mouse model of ROP. Endogenous microglia participated in this process, the authors said.
The researchers also determined that progenitor cells had to express a protein called hypoxia-inducible factor-1-alpha, or HIF-1-alpha, in order to function correctly.
The findings suggest a novel approach to treating ischemic retinopathies, through repair of blood vessels rather than destruction, the study authors said.
The study appears online in advance of print on the Journal of Clinical Investigation Web site.