title: Effect of arachidonic acid on normal and dystrophic retinal pigment epithelium in tissue culture.
abstract: With carmine particles used as markers, no significant difference was observed between the phagocytic activity of 1- to 3-week-old confluent monolayer cultures of normal and dystrophic retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells harvested from 1-day-old Royal College of Surgeons rats. The phagocytic activity of both normal and dystrophic RPE was markedly suppressed in a medium containing 1 mg/ml arachidonic acid (AA), and the cells rapidly assumed a rounded profile. With 100 micrograms/ml AA, the phagocytic activity of dystrophic RPE was differentially reduced compared with that of the normal sample (p greater than or equal to 0.001); this effect was subsequently accompanied by a gradual change in the shape of the cells. Lower concentrations of AA (5 microgram/ml and below) did not produce a significant effect in either group.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002329:Carmine; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D002329:Carmine