Inhibition of human retinal pigment epithelial cell attachment, spreading, and migration by alkylphosphocholines.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of alkylphosphocholines (APCs) on human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) attachment, spreading, migration, and microfilament assembly in vitro.

Methods: Cultured RPE cells of five human donors were treated with one of four APCs (C18:1-PC, C20:1-PC, C21:1-PC, or C22:1-PC) in the presence of fetal calf serum. Cell viability was tested by the trypan blue exclusion assay. Attachment was assessed after a 2-hour incubation of RPE cells on coated 96-well-plates and subsequent MTT testing. Cellular spreading is characterized by cytoplasmic halo formation and was quantified by counting four separate fields of RPE cells allowed to spread on coated 24-well plates for 4 hours. Migration was measured by a modification of the Boyden chamber method in microchemotaxis chambers with polycarbonated filters. Microfilament assembly was assessed by immunofluorescence analysis after incubation with rhodamine-phalloidin.

Results: All four APCs inhibited RPE cell attachment by more than 70% of their IC50 (C18:1-PC: 30 microM; C20:1-PC: 10 microM; C21:1-PC: 10 microM; and C22:1-PC: 10 microM). Also, APCs inhibited RPE cell spreading by more than 80% and migration by more than 90% at similar concentrations. Trypan blue staining revealed a toxicity within control limits within the concentration interval tested. Microfilament organization was significantly disturbed after incubation of RPE cells with one of the four APCs close to its IC50.

Conclusions: APCs inhibit RPE cell attachment and spreading in vitro at nontoxic concentrations. As a possible mechanism of action, APCs disturb microfilament assembly, since they are known to interfere with protein kinase C (PKC) function. This could represent a novel method of preventing even early stages of proliferative vitreoretinal diseases like proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR).