en Cellular and molecular Neuroscience Cellular and molecular Neuroscience Original Original <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="background:white"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="color:black">Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Recently, stem cells have been used to treat AMD. Here, the effect of transplantation of human adipose-derived stem cells (h-ADSCs), h-ADSC-induced retinal pigment epithelium (ADSC- iRPE), and their combination on early and late phases of AMD was investigated in rats. Labeled sub-retinal cell transplants were applied one day and two weeks after establishing retro-bulbar sodium iodate-induced AMD as early and late treatments, respectively. After 12 weeks, morphological changes in the photoreceptor and RPE layers of rat retina were assessed by measuring photoreceptor layer thickness (PLT) and outer nuclear layer row number (ONLN) in the peripheral (P), central (C), and total/average (T) regions of the retina, as well as the intensity of RPE65 protein expression (intensity). Statistical analyses of variances revealed the main effects of treatment, phase, and their interaction on PLT and ONLN (P, C, T), and the main effect of treatment on the intensity. &nbsp;Post-hoc analysis showed that in the early phase AMD model, PLT and ONLN (P, C) were significantly increased in all treatment groups compare to the AMD group. In addition, restoration of PLT (C) to the control-group level was observed only in the combination cell transplant group. In the late AMD model, unlike the early model, significant differences for all study variables were found between the Control group and the other groups</span></span><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="color:black">. </span></span><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="color:black">&nbsp;In conclusion, combined cell therapy in the early phase </span></span><span style="color:black">resulted in greater structural preservation of the </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="color:black">PL in the rat model, suggesting early intervention in cellular treatments of AMD. However, the lack of functional tests should be considered </span></span><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="color:black">when interpreting the findings of this study.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div> Cell Transplantation, Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation, Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell, Age-Related Macular Degeneration 0 0 http://bcn.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-8580-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Monireh Ghasempour ghasempour.m@iums.ac.ir 13700319475328460058751 13700319475328460058751 No Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ali Shahbazi shahbazi.a@iums.ac.ir 13700319475328460058752 13700319475328460058752 Yes Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hamid Aboutaleb Kadkhodaian Habootaleb92@gmail.com 13700319475328460058753 13700319475328460058753 No Department of Biology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA Masood Naseripoor naseripoor.m@iums.ac.ir 13700319475328460058754 13700319475328460058754 No Eye Research Center, The Five Senses Health Institute, Moheb Kowsar Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Fereshteh Azedi azedi.f@iums.ac.ir 13700319475328460058755 13700319475328460058755 No Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran