Photo Credit: Sdbower
The following is a summary of “ Anti-inflammatory potential of simvastatin and amfenac in ARPE-19 cells; insights in preventing re-detachment and proliferative vitreoretinopathy after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery,” published in the March 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Harju et al.
Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is a severe eye complication that can lead to further complications, such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), if surgery does not work. Inflammation and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell changes play vital roles.
Researchers conducted a prospective study examining the effects of simvastatin and amfenac on ARPE-19 cells during inflammation.
They treated ARPE-19 cells with simvastatin and/or amfenac for 24 hours before treating them with interleukin (IL)-1α or IL-1β for 24 hours more. After this treatments, factors including lactate dehydrogenase release, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) processing, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) activity, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) level, and extracellular levels of IL-6, IL-8, monocytic chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and pigment epithelium-derived factor, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were measured.
The results showed that pre-treating human ARPE-19 cells with simvastatin lowered IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 levels, reducing PGE2 and NF-κB activity during inflammation. Amfenac decreased IL-8 and MCP-1 release but increased ROS production. When simvastatin and amfenac were combined, they reduced IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and NF-κB but raised VEGF during inflammation in ARPE-19 cells.
Investigators concluded that amfenac enhances simvastatin’s anti-inflammatory benefits in human RPE cells. Early intervention in retinal inflammation could help prevent PVR and retinal redetachment.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10792-024-03067-z
