In vitro evaluation of simulated stereotactic radiotherapy for wet age-related macular degeneration on three different cell lines

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 8068 - 9
• Main Authors: Vounotrypidis, Efstathios, Hillenmayer, Anna, Wertheimer, Christian M, Athanasiou, Alexis, Siedlecki, Jakob, Orth, Michael, Ohlmann, Andreas, Priglinger, Siegfried G, Wolf, Armin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 13.04.2021; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Age; Angiogenesis; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - radiation effects; Cell death; Cell Line; Cell lines; Cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - radiation effects; Cell Survival - radiation effects; Cell viability; Endothelial cells; Epithelium; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells - radiation effects; Humans; Irradiation; Macular degeneration; Macular Degeneration - pathology; Microvasculature; Pericytes; Pericytes - metabolism; Pericytes - radiation effects; Placenta; Radiation therapy; Radiosurgery - methods; Retina; Retinal pigment epithelium; Retinal Pigment Epithelium - cytology; Retinal Pigment Epithelium - radiation effects; Umbilical vein; Wet Macular Degeneration - pathology; Wet Macular Degeneration - radiotherapy
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87466-7

Low energy stereotactic radiotherapy has been proposed for the treatment of neovascular age related macular degeneration. We investigated the in vitro effect of the radiotherapy on pericytes, retinal pigment epithelium and endothelial cells. Primary human retinal pigment epithelium cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human pericytes from Placenta were cultivated. In a pairwise protocol, one plate was irradiated at a dose of 16 Gy, while the second plate served as a non-irradiated control. Thereafter, cells were cultivated either in serum-free (non-permissive) or serum-stimulated (permissive) conditions. A life/dead assay, an XTT and a BrdU assay were performed up to 7 days after irradiation. No cell death occurred at any timepoint in any cell line after treatment nor in the control. Compared to the unirradiated controls, cell viability and metabolic activity were significantly reduced in irradiated cells in the XTT assay, except for non-permissive RPE cells. In the BrdU assay, proliferation was inhibited. While no cell death was detected in vitro, viability and proliferative capacity of all cell lines were significantly reduced. Therefore, it seems that low energy stereotactic radiotherapy inhibits angiogenesis without a direct induction of apoptosis but influencing microvascular function and stability.