A closer look at Schlemm's canal cell physiology: implications for biomimetics

CN Dautriche, Y Tian, Y Xie, ST Sharfstein - Journal of functional …, 2015 - mdpi.com
CN Dautriche, Y Tian, Y Xie, ST Sharfstein
Journal of functional biomaterials, 2015mdpi.com
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 …
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.
MDPI