EFFECT OF A SOMATOSTATIN ANALOG (OCTREOTIDE ACETATE) ON THE GROWTH OFRETINAL-PIGMENT EPITHELIAL-CELLS IN CULTURE

Purpose. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy is a serious complication of retinal detachment surgery in which retinal pigment epithelial cells a bnormally proliferate within the vitreous cavity and under the retinal surface. Octreotide acetate, a somatostatin analog, has been shown to inhibit the cellular proliferation of a variety of cell types. The ai m of this study was to investigate the effect of octreotide acetate on the growth of rabbit retinal pigment epithelial cells in culture. Met hods. Retinal pigment epithelial cells were isolated from rabbits and maintained in culture. Cells were exposed to standard media or media s upplemented with octreotide acetate 10(-4) M to 10(-12) M for five day s. Each concentration of octreotide acetate was tested in quadruplicat e. Results. Exposure of rabbit retinal pigment epithelial cells to oct reotide acetate significantly inhibited proliferation with a peak effe ct at 10(-8) M. The effect of octreotide is biphasic with higher and l ower concentrations having less effect than 10(-8) M. Conclusions. Thi s study suggests that octreotide acetate may be useful in the treatmen t of proliferative vitreoretinopathy; however, the optimum therapeutic dose range for this drug may be narrow.