Interleukin-1β stimulates the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor in human retinal pigment epithelial cells

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of interleukin (IL-1β) on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) secretion in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Methods Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the production of VEGF and bFGF by RPECs. The cells were cultured in the presence of IL-1β at different concentrations,which were 0,1,10, and 20 ng/ml, respectively. VEGF and bFGF levels were measured at various time points. Semiquantitative reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted todetect the expression of VEGF and bFGF mRNA in RPE cells with and without IL-1β stimulation. The proliferation of cells in all groups was measured by the MTT assay and expressed as light absorption values. Results IL-1β significantly stimulated the secretion of VEGF at the concentration of 1 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml (P 0.05). Conclusion Pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β increased the secretion of VEGF and bFGF by human RPE cells to some extent. Key words: Pigment epithelium of eye/physiology; Interleukin-lbeta/administration & dosage; Vascular endothelial growth factors; Fibroblast growth factor 2