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Inflammatory conditions of the eye may cause migration and proliferation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Therefore the authors evaluated the effects of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on cytosolic calcium ion concentration ((Ca2+)i) and on morphological changes in cultured bovine RPE cells. PGE2 caused an increase in (Ca2+)i, and contraction of RPE cells noted on phase-contrast biomicroscopy. The increase of (Ca2+)i was restrained by removing calcium ion from the medium and the addition of verapamil. Contraction of RPE cells was evaluated further by measuring the diffusion of 3H-dextran. The PGE2-induced increase in diffusion of 3H-dextran was suppressed by verapamil. The authors conclude that the contraction of RPE cells induced by PGE2 is dependent upon calcium ion transient and may be countered by calcium-blocking agents.
Dr. T. Sekiryu, Department of Ophthalmology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan
11.4 Prostaglandins (Part of: 11 Medical treatment)