The effect of growth factors on the proliferation of cultured porcine trabecular meshwork cells

Objective: We attempted to identify cell growth factors that cause a multiplication of trabecular meshwork(TM) cells.

Methods: Porcine TM cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium/nutrient mixture F-12/Ham to which we added 1, 10, and 100 ng/ml of platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF), fibroblast growth factor 2(FGF2), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), vascular endothelial cell growth factor(VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), or brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF). We measured [3H] thymidine incorporation to evaluate the influence of the growth factors on TM cell proliferation.

Results: [3H] thymidine incorporation into TM cells was promoted by 10 and 100 ng/ml of PDGF, IGF-1, and FGF2 after 24 and 48 hours, whereas 1, 10, and 100 ng/ml of VEGF restrained cell proliferation after 48 hours. HGF and BDNF did not show any remarkable influence on TM cell proliferation.

Conclusions: Our, results suggest that PDGF, IGF-1, and FGF2 may cause a drop in intraocular pressure followed by activation of a TM function, by multiplying TM cells.