Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38906906›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2024

Prospects and limitations of cumate-inducible lentivirus as a tool for investigating VEGF-A-mediated pathology in diabetic retinopathy.

Inesa Lelyte, Vidhya R Rao, Giedrius Kalesnykas, Symantas Ragauskas, Simon Kaja, Zubair Ahmed

Erratum issuedAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Inesa LelyteInstitute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. inesa@experimentica.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9014-3165
Vidhya R RaoDepartment of Ophthalmology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0228-1689
Giedrius KalesnykasR&D Division, Experimentica Ltd., 10243, Vilnius, Lithuania.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2172-7164
Symantas RagauskasR&D Division, Experimentica Ltd., 10243, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Simon KajaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6878-521X
Zubair AhmedInstitute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. z.ahmed.1@bham.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6267-6442

Funding

European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Mari Sklodowska-Curie Actions 813440
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a multifactorial disease displaying vascular-associated pathologies, including vascular leakage and neovascularization, ultimately leading to visual impairment. However, animal models accurately reflecting these pathologies are lacking. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is an important factor in the development of micro- and macro-vascular pathology in DR. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using a cumate-inducible lentivirus (LV) mediated expression of vegf-a to understand DR pathology in vitro and in vivo. Retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19) were transduced with cumate-inducible LV expressing vegf-a, with subsequent analysis of vegf-a expression and its impact on cell proliferation, viability, motility, and permeability. Cumate tolerability in adult Wistar rat eyes was assessed as an initial step towards a potential DR animal model development, by administering cumate via intravitreal injections (IVT) and evaluating consequent effects by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), flash electroretinography (fERG), ophthalmic examination (OE), and immunohistochemistry. Transduction of ARPE-19 cells with cumate-inducible LV resulted in ~ 2.5-fold increase in vegf-a mRNA and ~ threefold increase in VEGF-A protein secretion. Transduced cells displayed enhanced cell proliferation, viability, permeability, and migration in tube-like structures. However, IVT cumate injections led to apparent retinal toxicity, manifesting as retinal layer abnormalities, haemorrhage, vitreous opacities, and significant reductions in a- and b-wave amplitudes, along with increased microglial activation and reactive gliosis. In summary, while cumate-inducible LV-mediated vegf-a expression is valuable for in vitro mechanistic studies in cellular drug discovery, its use is not a feasible approach to model DR in in vivo studies due to cumate-induced retinal toxicity.

Indexed as

Diabetic RetinopathyLentivirusRetinal Pigment EpitheliumVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AAnimalsCell LineCell MovementCell ProliferationCell SurvivalDisease Models, AnimalGenetic VectorsHumansIntravitreal InjectionsMaleRatsRats, WistarVascular Endothelial Growth Factor ACumate-inducible lentivirusDiabetic retinopathyGene expressionRetinal toxicityVascular endothelial growth factor

Identifiers

PMID38906906
PMCPMC11192717

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.