PGE2: a mediator of corneal endothelial wound repair in vitro

Maintenance of the integrity of the corneal endothelial monolayer is essential for corneal clarity. Aging, trauma, inflammation, and diseases, such as diabetes, can compromise monolayer integrity, resulting in corneal edema and loss of visual acuity. In adult humans, repair of the monolayer occurs mainly by two forms of cell movement: "migration," in which individual cells move from the wound edge to repopulate the defect, and "spreading," in which cells enlarge and flatten, causing movement of the monolayer as a sheet to cover the defect. Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that these two forms of movement can be pharmacologically separated. In the current studies, an established tissue culture model was used to determine the effect of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and of mediators of the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) pathway on individual cell migration. Indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, significantly decreased individual cell migration below levels obtained when wounds were exposed to culture medium alone. PGE2, but not PGF2 alpha, restored this response in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of indomethacin, forskolin, a direct adenylate cyclase activator, stimulated individual cell migration. 2',5'-Dideoxyadenosine, an adenylate cyclase inhibitor, reversed the stimulatory effects of both forskolin and PGE2. Dibutyryl cAMP (DBcAMP) also stimulated individual cell migration in the presence of indomethacin, whereas, H89, a protein kinase A inhibitor, reversed both the DBcAMP and PGE2-induced effects. These results provide evidence that stimulation of the cAMP pathway enhances individual cell migration and that PGE2, acting via this pathway, may be an endogenous stimulator of this response during corneal endothelial wound repair.