title: [Effect of heparin and ascorbic acid on growth behavior of cultivated corneal epithelial cells of the rabbit].
abstract: Although ascorbic acid and heparin are used for local therapy of corneal wounds that heal poorly (e.g., after chemical burns), little has been known up to now about the mechanisms underlying their effectiveness at the cellular level. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the effect of heparin and ascorbic acid on the growth behaviour of corneal cells in vitro. For this purpose cell cultures from a corneal epithelial cell line were used. Stimulation of the cells with heparin at concentrations ranging from 10 to 200 micrograms/ml for 6 days led to a dose-dependent rise in growth rate (population doublings per day) of 0.48 +/- 0.50 to 2.19 +/- 1.65 (mean value +/- standard deviation, n = 10) with an EC50 of 132 micrograms/ml. In contrast, the addition of ascorbic acid at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 mM led on average to a 40% dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation after 6 days, with an IC50 of 0.7 mM as-corbic acid. On the basis of these results, the use of heparin at concentrations of 180-200 micrograms/ml appears advantageous. In contrast, the local application of ascorbic acid for chemical burns with no stromal involvement should be subjected to a critical reassessment.
authors: Universitäts-Augenklinik Tübingen.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Knorr
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Wunderlich
authors: K P
authors: KP
authors: Steuhl
authors: H J
authors: HJ
authors: Thiel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003315:Cornea / Q000166:cytology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D006493:Heparin; D001205:Ascorbic Acid
vernacular_title: Wirkung von Heparin und Ascorbinsäure auf das Wachstumsverhalten kultivierter Hornhautepithelzellen des Kaninchens.