VITAMIN-E INHIBITS PROLIFERATION OF HUMAN TENONS CAPSULE FIBROBLASTS IN-VITRO

Failure of glaucoma surgery is mostly due to fibrocellular scar format ion, derived from Tenon's capsule fibroblasts. In highrisk cases, post operative Tenon's capsule fibroblast proliferation is inhibited by mit omycin C or 5-fluorouracil. Toxicity to other ocular cell types and th e risk of ocular hypotony limits the use of these agents. We have foun d that d-alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) was able to inhibit proliferatio n of in vitro human Tenon's capsule fibroblasts obtained from seven di fferent donors. At 48 h, inhibition of cell proliferation was 30-78% ( mean 60%) for 50 mu M d-alpha-tocopherol and 46-97% (mean 77%) for 100 mu M d-alpha-tocopherol. This inhibition was statistically significan t. No cytotoxic effects were observed.