Abstract:AIM: To study the effect of artesunate(ART)on proliferation and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in cultured human retinal capillary endothelial cells in vitro under the condition of high glucose.
METHODS: Human retinal capillary endothelial cells(HRCECs)extraction was taken from fresh human eyeand cultured in vitro. The cells of good growth in 3rd-4th generation were used into the experiment. The experimental subjects were divided into low glucose control group, high glucose control group and high glucose+different concentrations ART(15μg/mL, 30μg/mL, 60μg/mL, and 120μg/mL)groups. The effect of ART on the proliferation of HRCECs for 24 and 48 hours was measured by MTT assay. The effect of ART on the expression of VEGF in HRCECs was detected by immunocytochemistry.
RESULTS: The results from MTT assay showed that high glucose significantly increased the proliferation of HRCECs(P>0.05)and treatment of HRCECs with ART at the concentrations 15μg/mL,30μg/mL,60μg/mL,120μg/mL for 24 and 48 hours caused a time- and dose-dependent inhibition in the proliferation of HRCECs(P<0.05). The expression of VEGF in high glucose group was significantly higher than that in the low glucose control group(P<0.05). Compared with the high glucose control group, the expressions of VEGF in high glucose + different concentrations ART(15μg/mL,30μg/mL,60μg/mL)groups were decreased in a dose-dependent manner(P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: ART concentration-dependently inhibits high glucose-induced proliferation and VEGF overexpression in HRCECs, indicating that ART-inhibited the proliferation of HRCECs exerted by high glucose environment might be related to the inhibition of VEGF expression.
