AIM:To investigate the effect of silencing glial fibrillary acidic protein gene(GFAP)on proliferation and apoptosis of high glucose-induced human retinal microvascular endothelial cells(hRMECs)and its mechanism.

METHODS: Expression of GFAP in hRMECs treated with high sugar(30mmol/mL)and low sugar(5mmol/mL)was detected by qRT-PCR. The high glucose-induced hRMECs cells of silencing GFAP gene was established by lentiviral-mediated method. High glucose-induced hRMECs cells were treated with SRI-011381(TGF-β signaling pathway activator)and dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO); Expression of GFAP, transforming growth factor-1(TGF-β1), activating transcription factor2(Smad2), Smad3 proteins were measured by Western blot, and cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8 and flow cytometry, respectively.

RESULTS: Expression of GFAP was significantly increased in high glucose treated hRMECs. The high glucose induced hRMECs cell model of GFAP gene silencing was successfully constructed by lentivirus mediation, and the cell proliferation ability was significantly improved, the apoptosis rate is significantly inhibited, and expression of TGF-1, Smad2 and Smad3 proteins in the TGF-β signaling pathway was significantly inhibited after silencing GFAP, while activation of TGF-β signaling pathway could reverse the inhibitory effect of silencing GFAP on the proliferation and apoptosis in high glucose hRMECs.

CONCLUSION: Silencing GFAP gene can promote the proliferation of high glucoseinducedhuman retinal microvascular endothelial cells and inhibit cell apoptosis,the mechanism may be related to the inactivation of TGF-β signaling pathway.