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REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Ophthalmology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1393057
This article is part of the Research Topic Physiological and Pathological Changes of the Retina Associated With Ageing View all 3 articles

The mechanics of the retina: Müller glia role on retinal extracellular matrix and modelling

Provisionally accepted
Laura Prieto-López Laura Prieto-López Xandra Pereiro Xandra Pereiro *Elena Vecino Elena Vecino *
  • University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The retina is a highly heterogeneous tissue, both cell-wise but also regarding its extracellular matrix (ECM). The stiffness of the ECM is pivotal in retinal development and maturation and has also been associated with the onset and/or progression of numerous retinal pathologies, such as glaucoma, proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), epiretinal membrane (ERM) formation or uveitis. Nonetheless, much remains unknown about the biomechanical milieu of the retina, and specifically the role that Müller glia play as principal mechanosensors and major producers of ECM constituents. So far, new approaches need to be developed to further the knowledge in the field of retinal mechanobiology for ECM-target applications to arise. In this review, we focus on the involvement of Müller glia in shaping and altering the retinal ECM under both physiological and pathological conditions and look into various biomaterial options to more accurately replicate the impact of matrix stiffness in vitro.

    Keywords: Extracellular Matrix, stiffness, Müller glia, Retina, Hydrogels

    Received: 04 Mar 2024; Accepted: 13 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Prieto-López, Pereiro and Vecino. 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:
    Xandra Pereiro, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, 48940, Basque Country, Spain
    Elena Vecino, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, 48940, Basque Country, Spain

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.