HUMAN LENS CELLS HAVE AN INVITRO PROLIFERATIVE CAPACITY INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE DONOR AGE

Human epithelial lens cells (HEL) from embryos and 40-89-year-old donors were studied in vitro to evaluate their role in the maintenance and aging of the lens. Cells from young and old donors were cultured in MEM 199 with 15% fetal calf serum (FCS). While, like many other normal human epithelial cells, HEL cells have a low population doubling capacity, several of their properties could be studied. As a function of age a huge enlargement of the cytoplasm was observed. Cell surfaces of 60-year-old donors were on the average 3 times or more larger than embryo cells. With serial passages, they kept enlarging with accumulation in the cytoplasm of large vacuoles and bundles of filaments. Nuclei polyploidisation and fragmentation were frequent. Determination of the labelling index of these cells after the first subculture showed a clearly progressive age-related decline of their growth capacity. These results suggest an intrinsic progressive aging of this pure population of differentiated cells. © 1979.