A Closer Look at Schlemm’s Canal Cell Physiology: Implications for Biomimetics

Journal of Functional Biomaterials

Susan T. Sharfstein¹  Cula N. Dautriche¹  Yangzi Tian¹  Yubing Xie¹ 

[1] State University of New York (SUNY) Polytechnic Institute, Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY 12203, USA;

关键词: Schlemm’s canal;    conventional outflow tract;    intraocular pressure;    glaucoma;    biomimetics;    tissue engineering;    nanofabrication;   

DOI  :  10.3390/jfb6030963

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Among ocular pathologies, glaucoma is the second leading cause of progressive vision loss, expected to affect 80 million people worldwide by 2020. A primary cause of glaucoma appears to be damage to the conventional outflow tract. Conventional outflow tissues, a composite of the trabecular meshwork and the Schlemm’s canal, regulate and maintain homeostatic responses to intraocular pressure. In glaucoma, filtration of aqueous humor into the Schlemm’s canal is hindered, leading to an increase in intraocular pressure and subsequent damage to the optic nerve, with progressive vision loss. The Schlemm’s canal encompasses a unique endothelium. Recent advances in culturing and manipulating Schlemm’s canal cells have elucidated several aspects of their physiology, including ultrastructure, cell-specific marker expression, and biomechanical properties. This review highlights these advances and discusses implications for engineering a 3D, biomimetic, in vitro model of the Schlemm’s canal endothelium to further advance glaucoma research, including drug testing and gene therapy screening.

【 授权许可】

Unknown