Abstract
Purpose :
SKQ1 (Visomitin) is a novel mitochondrial-targeted anti-oxidant that holds promise for treatment of ocular surface diseases. The goal of this study is to determine if SKQ1 plays a role in corneal wound healing process.
Methods :
Human corneal limbus epithelial (HCLE) cell cultures were pretreated for 1 hour with varying concentrations of SKQ1 (0-400 nM). A single-streak wound was then created and fresh medium containing SKQ1at concentrations corresponding to the amounts for pretreatment were in place. Photographs were taken at indicated time-points until wound closure and the resulting images were analyzed with Image-J. SKQ1 cytotoxicity was determined by a standard MTT assay. HCLE cell proliferation was evaluated by treating single cells with varying concentrations of SKQ1 for 6 days and quantified by MTT assays. HCLE cell migration was evaluated after wounds treated with SKQ1 and 10 μM pp38 kinase inhibitor SB203580 for 10 hours.
Results :
SKQ1 concentrations up to 250 nM showed no toxicity. Much higher concentrations were needed to produce cytotoxicity. In comparison to the no-SKQ1 control, addition of 50 nM SKQ1 significantly increased their wound healing rates by 4, 9 and 9%, corresponding to 4, 8 and 12 hours of SKQ1 treatment. Furthermore, as low as 25 nM SKQ1 doubled the cell proliferation rates. Finally, addition of SB203580 completely abolished the stimulated wound healing by SKQ1.
Conclusions :
SKQ1 were shown to significantly enhance the corneal epithelial wound healing process likely through enhancement of cell proliferation and migration. The data provide support for SKQ1 as a promising new therapeutically strategy for treatment of corneal epithelial wounds and damages.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.