Front. Neurosci.

Sec. Neurogenesis

Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1438903

Provisionally accepted

Deepthi S. Rajendran Nair 1 Anika Gupta 2 Ege Iseri 2 Tianyuan Wei 2 Le Tam Phuong Quach 2 Magdalene J. Seiler 2 Gianluca Lazzi 2 Biju B Thomas 2* 1 ophthalmology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States 2 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States

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Considering the significant role played by both intrinsic and extrinsic electric fields in the growth and maturation of the central nervous system, the impact of short exposure to external electric fields on the development and differentiation of retinal organoids was investigated.Organoids derived from human embryonic stem cells at day 80, a critical time point in their differentiation and maturation, were used. A single 60-minute exposure to a distinct biphasic electrical field influenced neuronal development and increased the population of photoreceptors. Initial immunohistochemistry and qPCR studies confirmed the influence of electrical stimulation on the development and differentiation of various RO cell types. RNA sequencing data revealed elevated expression of rod photoreceptors, Müller cells, horizontal cells, and amacrine cells, alongside the downregulation of retinal pigment epithelium and retinal ganglion cell genes.Furthermore, our study demonstrated varying degrees of organoid development and maturation depending on the specific electrical field applied. These findings highlight the significant impact of extrinsic electrical fields on early retinal development and suggest that optimizing electrical field parameters could effectively address certain limitations in retinal organoid technology, potentially reducing the reliance on chemicals and small molecules.

Keywords: retinal organoids, Electrical Stimulation, Electrical field, photoreceptors, Retinal degenerative disease

Received: 31 May 2024; Accepted: 24 Oct 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Rajendran Nair, Gupta, Iseri, Wei, Phuong Quach, Seiler, Lazzi and Thomas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Biju B Thomas, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States

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