Abstract
Purpose :
Cytokines including TGFβ2 are involved in postoperative posterior capsule opacity (PCO). Previously, using a rat PCO model, we demonstrated that the expression of proteoglycan decorin (DCN) was highly up-regulated in lens epithelial cells (LEC). In the present study, we investigated DCN expression in a mouse PCO model and mouse LECs (MLECs) treated with TGFβ2 and/or its inhibitor.
Methods :
All animal experiments adhered to the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Extracapsular lens extraction (ECLE) was performed in C57/BL6 mice to generate the mouse PCO model. We used primary MLECs and peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6) deficient MLECs (Prdx6-/- MLEC) in which TGFβ is highly upregulated. MLECs reared in DMEM containing 2% fetal bovine serum were treated with 0 to 10ng/ml TGFβ2 and/or LY364947 and expression levels of DCN and α smooth muscle actin (αSMA) were measured using real-time RT-PCR.
Results :
Expression of DCN, was upregulated at Day 7 after ECLE. After treatment with TGFβ2, expression of DCN was decreased, whereas, expression of Tpm1/2 and αSMA were upregulated in MLECs. Addition of TGFβ2 suppressed the expression of DCN mRNA (p<0.01). However, inhibition of TGFβ increased the expression of DCN. Expression of DCN was lower in Prdx6-/- MLECs than in wild type MLECs (p<0.02).
Conclusions :
DCN may be involved in the progression of PCO. However, since expression of DCN was suppressed by TGF, DCN might not play a major role in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition of LEC in PCO. Further investigation is needed to clarify the involvement of DCN in the development of PCO in LEC.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.