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The effect of brimonidine on transepithelial resistance in a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line
Jung Hyun Park1, Sung Joon Kim, Hyeong Gon Yu
1Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Purpose:
To investigate the effects of brimonidine, an alpha-2-adrenergic agonist, on barrier function in ARPE-19 cells by measuring transepithelial resistance (TER).
Methods:
ARPE-19 cells were cultured into a confluent monolayer on a microporous filter. Brimonidine was added to the apical medium, and the barrier function of the cells was evaluated by measuring TER. A subset of cells was treated under hypoxic conditions, and the TER changes observed upon administration of brimonidine were compared to those observed in cells in normoxic conditions.
Results:
The ARPE cell membrane reached a peak resistance of 29.1+/-7.97 Omegacm(2) after four weeks of culture. The TER of the cells treated under normoxic conditions increased with brimonidine treatment; however, the TER of the cells treated under hypoxic conditions did not change following the administration of brimonidine.
Conclusions:
Barrier function in ARPE-19 cells increased with brimonidine treatment. Understanding the exact mechanism of this barrier function change requires further investigation.
