Sornelli Federica, Lambiase Alessandro, Mantelli Flavio, Aloe Luigi
Institute of Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy.
Mol Vis. 2010 Jul 29;16:1439-47.
Several growth factors, including nerve growth factor (NGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), play an important role in the homeostasis of the ocular surface. The involvement of both these growth factors in the pathophysiology of intraocular tissues has been extensively investigated. Despite the expression of NGF receptors by corneal endothelium, to date the role of NGF on the endothelial cell remains to be determined. Using a clonal cell line of human corneal endothelial cells, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the NGF-receptor and the potential partnership of NGF and VEGF in maintaining cell viability in vitro.
A human endothelial cell line (B4G12), was cultured under serum-free conditions as previously described with and without addition of different concentrations of NGF, anti-NGF-antibody (ANA), or VEGF for 4 days and these cells were used for immuno-istochemical, biochemical, and molecular analyses.
NGF induces overexpression of NGF-receptors and synthesis and release of VEGF by endothelial cells and these cells are able to produce and secrete NGF.
These observations indicate that human corneal endothelial cells are receptive to the action of NGF and that these cells may regulate NGF activity through autocrine/paracrine mechanisms.
包括神经生长因子（NGF）和血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）在内的多种生长因子在眼表稳态中发挥重要作用。这两种生长因子在眼内组织病理生理学中的作用已得到广泛研究。尽管角膜内皮细胞表达NGF受体，但迄今为止，NGF对内皮细胞的作用仍有待确定。本研究旨在利用人角膜内皮细胞克隆细胞系，研究NGF受体的表达以及NGF与VEGF在体外维持细胞活力方面的潜在协同作用。
将人内皮细胞系（B4G12）按照先前描述的方法在无血清条件下培养，分别添加不同浓度的NGF、抗NGF抗体（ANA）或VEGF，培养4天，然后将这些细胞用于免疫组织化学、生化和分子分析。
NGF可诱导内皮细胞中NGF受体的过表达以及VEGF的合成与释放，并且这些细胞能够产生和分泌NGF。
这些观察结果表明，人角膜内皮细胞对NGF的作用敏感，并且这些细胞可能通过自分泌/旁分泌机制调节NGF活性。
