[An observation of antiproliferative effect of germanium-132 on cultured pterygium fibroblasts].
OBJECTIVE
To detect the antiproliferation of carboxyethyl germanium sesquioxide (Ge-132) on fibroblasts of pterygium in vitro and try to find a potentially effective agent for treatment of primary pterygium and prevention of its postoperative recurrence.


METHODS
Primary culture and subculture of pterygium fibroblasts were established in vitro. Different concentrations of Ge-132 (39 - 5,000 mg/L) or mitomycin-C (3.13 - 4.00 mg/L, the control) were added to the fibroblast culture of the third or forth passage respectively. The inhibitory effect was determined by MTT (tetrazolium bromide) method. The influence of addition of Ge-132 on the growth curve of fibroblasts was observed, and the changing expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in fibroblasts was studied by immunohistochemical method.


RESULTS
The addition of Ge-132 in the culture caused significant inhibition of the fibroblast proliferation in dose dependent manner (625 - 50,000 mg/L) without cytotoxicity (IC(50) = 3,000 mg/L), the marked descent of growth curve and suppression of the expression of PCNA in cultured cells (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Ge-132 can inhibit the proliferation of pterygium fibroblast in vitro significantly.
Liu
Y
Y
Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing 100005, China.
Sun
X
X
Li
B
B
Wang
J
J
D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D005857:Germanium; D006801:Humans; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D011422:Propionates; D011625:Pterygium / Q000473:pathology*
D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D011422:Propionates; D005857:Germanium; C066750:propagermanium