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“Background/aim Anti-VEGF treatment is the therapy of choice in age-related macular degeneration, and is also applied in diabetic macular oedema or retinal vein occlusion.

Recently, the fusion protein, aflibercept, has been approved for therapeutic use. In this study, we investigate the effects of aflibercept on primary RPE cells. Methods Primary GSK2126458 RPE cells were prepared from freshly slaughtered pigs’ eyes. The impact of aflibercept on cell viability was investigated with MTT and trypan blue exclusion assay. The influence of aflibercept on wound healing was assessed with a scratch assay. Intracellular uptake of aflibercept was investigated in immunohistochemistry and its influence on phagocytosis with a phagocytosis assay using opsonised latex beads. Results Aflibercept displays no cytotoxicity on RPE cells but impairs its wound healing ability. It is taken up into RPE cells and can be intracellularly detected for at least 7 days. Intracellular aflibercept impairs the phagocytic capacity of RPE cells. Conclusions Aflibercept interferes with the physiology of RPE cells, as it is taken up into RPE cells, which is accompanied by a reduction

of the phagocytic ability. Additionally, it impairs the wound healing capacity of RPE cells. These effects on the physiology of RPE cells may indicate possible side effects.”
“Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) was originally isolated from human neutrophils and click here termed neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). However, the functions of LCN2 and the cell types that are primarily responsible for LCN2 production remain unclear. To address these issues, hepatocyte-specific Lcn2 knockout (Lcn2(Hep-/-)) mice were generated

and subjected to bacterial infection (with Klesbsiella pneumoniae or Escherichia coli) or partial hepatectomy (PHx). Studies of Lcn2(Hep-/-) mice revealed that hepatocytes contributed to 25% of the low basal serum level of LCN2 protein (approximate to 62 ng/mL) but were responsible for more than 90% of the highly elevated Selleckchem PLX4032 serum LCN2 protein level (approximate to 6,000 ng/mL) postinfection and more than 60% post-PHx (approximate to 700 ng/mL). Interestingly, both Lcn2(Hep-/-) and global Lcn2 knockout (Lcn2(-/-)) mice demonstrated comparable increases in susceptibility to infection with K. pneumoniae or E. coli. These mice also had increased enteric bacterial translocation from the gut to the mesenteric lymph nodes and exhibited reduced liver regeneration after PHx. Treatment with interleukin (IL)-6 stimulated hepatocytes to produce LCN2 in vitro and in vivo. Hepatocyte-specific ablation of the IL-6 receptor or Stat3, a major downstream effector of IL-6, markedly abrogated LCN2 elevation in vivo. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay revealed that STAT3 was recruited to the promoter region of the Lcn2 gene upon STAT3 activation by IL-6.