Abstract
Aim: To determine the effects of vitamin E on transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-β2)-induced cellular changes in cultured human trabecular meshwork (TM) cells.
Materials and Methods: Human TM cells were pre-treated with different concentrations of vitamin E. Afterwards, cells were exposed to 1.0 ng/ml TGF-β2 for 24 h. Expressions of the heat shock protein αB-crystallin, the extracellular matrix (ECM) component fibronectin and the ECM-degrading enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. The cytoskeleton was investigated by phalloidin staining.
Results: TGF-β2 increased the expressions of αB-crystallin and fibronectin and reduced the levels of MMP-2. TGF-β2 induced the formation of actin stress fibers and cross-linked actin networks. Pre-treatment with different concentrations of vitamin E reversed the TGF-β2-induced cellular changes in cultured human TM cells.
Conclusions: TGF-β2-mediated changes in human TM cells could be reduced by pre-treatment with vitamin E. Therefore, it may be speculated that increasing the antioxidative capacity may help to lower the incidence of characteristic glaucomatous changes in the TM.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Katja Obholzer for excellent technical assistance.