Inhibitive effect of genistein on hypoxia-induced basic fibroblast growth factor expression in human retinal pigment epithelium cells.
OBJECTIVE
The time course changes of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) expression induced by hypoxia and the effects of genistein on hypoxia-induced bFGF expression in the human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells were studied.


METHODS
The bFGF mRNA expression was examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The bFGF protein expression was detected by Western blot.


RESULTS
Hypoxia significantly increased bFGF mRNA expression. The maximal level detected at 24 h was approximately two times that at the start of treatment. With pretreatment of genistein (10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 microM) for 30 min, the elevated expression of bFGF mRNA was suppressed in a concentration-dependent manner. bFGF mRNA expression was reduced to 30.4% by 200 microM of genistein when compared with that untreated with genistein. Hypoxia treatment also remarkably increased the expression of bFGF protein. At 24 h after hypoxia, when the highest expression of bFGF protein was observed, it was approximately two times as much as that at the start of treatment. Genistein (10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 microM) could also suppress bFGF protein expression in a concentration-dependent manner. The highest suppression was observed when exposed to 200 microM of genistein, which was 43% of control.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggested that suppression of bFGF expression in RPE cells might partly account for the inhibitive effect of genistein on retinal neovascularization in vivo.
Pan
Jin-Shun
JS
Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Zhu
Huai-Jun
HJ
Zhang
Bei
B
Li
Hua
H
Yan
Hong
H
Wang
Bin
B
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D002460:Cell Line; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019833:Genistein / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000517:prevention & control; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000098:blood supply / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D019833:Genistein