Effect of human vitreous and hyalocyte-derived factors on vascular endothelial cell growth

Purpose: In the present study we have examined the effects of human Vitreous and hyalocyte-conditioned medium on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were cultured and treated in quadruplicate with human vitreous and hyalocyte-conditioned medium at different concentrations. Cell numbers were counted on days 1, 3, 5 and 7. Morphological changes and the viability of cells after treatment were also monitored. Results: The results indicate that both human vitreous and hyalocyte-conditioned medium inhibit proliferation and reduce the viability of HUVEC in vitro. These inhibitory effects were dose-and time-dependent. Conclusions: The observations suggest that human hyalocytes and vitreous contain anti-angiogenic factors that influence vascular endothelial cell growth. These results, combined with those of previous studies, may yield important information about the functional role of vitreous and hyalocytes in intraocular vascular regression.