Level D· Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studiesAnimal StudyPubMedOpen access

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells interactions in a stress environment via tunneling nanotubes.

Gozel M., Senkoylu K., Kesim C., Hasanreisoglu M.

Animal Study, published in PLoS One (2025) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

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Level D· Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studiesEvidence level of this study

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

  • Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
  • Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
  • Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
  • Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
  • Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
Read the A–D evidence level guide

This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type
Animal Study
Journal
PLoS One (2025)
Country
United States
Reported sample size
—
Source database
PubMed
PMID
40758703
PMCID
PMC12321103
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0329672

Abstract (original English)

This study aims to demonstrate the formation of tunneling tubes (TNTs) between adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSCs) and retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE-1) and their alterations in response to experimental stress conditions. Serum starvation was employed as a stress condition to induce TNTs between the AdMSC and RPE-1 cells. The presence of TNTs was demonstrated through immunofluorescence microscopy, while scanning electron microscopy was utilized to determine the average thickness. Cell viability was assessed after stress by CellTiter-Glo, and H2DCFH-DA probes evaluated the cells' reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Further, JC-1 labelled mitochondrial exchange between cells via TNTs was confirmed by time-lapse imaging. A transmembrane culture system was employed to inhibit TNTs. In this study, we investigated the role of TNTs in facilitating intercellular communication and mitochondrial transfer between AdMSCs and RPE-1 cells under stress. We found that TNT-mediated mitochondrial transfer from AdMSCs to RPE-1 helps to reduce ROS levels and improve cell viability. We demonstrated that direct interaction between AdMSCs and RPE-1 cells was crucial for stress recovery. Co-culture enhanced the viability and sustained the RPE-1 cells' function after stress-induced damage. Mechanical inhibition of TNT formation decreased cell viability and elevated ROS levels, indi

What this study does not prove

  • • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
  • • This is preclinical work; animal or laboratory results cannot be applied to humans.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

How we grade evidence
Mesenchymal Stem CellsRetinal Pigment EpitheliumReactive Oxygen SpeciesHumansNanotubesCell CommunicationCell SurvivalMitochondriaCoculture TechniquesAdipose Tissue

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