Human neural progenitor cells promote photoreceptor survival in retinal explants

Different types of progenitor and stem cells have been shown to provide neuroprotection in animal models of photoreceptor degeneration. The present study was conducted to investigate whether human neural progenitor cells (HNPCs) have neuroprotective properties on retinal explants models with calpain- and caspase-3-dependent photoreceptor cell death. In the first experiments, HNPCs in a feeder layer were co-cultured for 6 days either with postnatal rd1 mouse or normal rat retinas. Retinal histological sections were used to determine outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness, and to detect the number of photoreceptors with labeling for calpain activity, cleaved caspase-3 and TUNEL. The ONL thickness of co-cultured rat and rd1 retinas was found to be almost 10% and 40% thicker, respectively, compared to controls. Cell counts of calpain activity, cleaved caspase-3 and TUNEL labeled photoreceptors in both models revealed a 30–50% decrease when co-cultured with HNPCs. The results represent significant increases of photoreceptor survival in the co-cultured retinas. In the second experiments, for an identification of putative survival factors, or a combination of them, a growth factor profile was performed on conditioned medium. The relative levels of various growth factors were analyzed by densitometric measurements of growth factor array membranes. Following growth factors were identified as most potential survival factors; granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF), insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II), neurotrophic factor 3 (NT-3), placental growth factor (PIGF), transforming growth factors (TGF-β1 and TGF-β2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-D). HNPCs protect both against calpain- and caspase-3-dependent photoreceptor cell death in the rd1 mouse and against caspase-3-dependent photoreceptor cell death in normal rat retinas in vitro. The protective effect is possibly achieved by a variety of growth factors secreted from the HNPCs.