Is retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Apoptosis Influenced by a Combination of Macrophages and Soluble Mediators Present in Age-Related Macular Degeneration?
These findings indicate that microglia and macrophages are capable of enhancing the degeneration of RPE, which are crucial in AMD development. However this is dependent on the microenvironment present as AMD develops.
Robust expression of α-SMA and type-I collagen, high and uniformly-distributed ROS levels, resistance to oxidative-stress induced cell death and constitutive activation of tyrosine kinase(s) signalling are distinctive features of the IPF phenotype. We suggest that this phenotype can be used as a model to identify the initial trigger of IPF.