Comparison of Nerve Growth Factor with Fetal Bovine Serum for Promoting Closure of Defects in Corneal Epithelial Cell Layers.
Fetal bovine serum closed corneal cell wounds more than nerve growth factor alone in lab tests.
Comparison of Nerve Growth Factor with Fetal Bovine Serum for Promoting Closure of Defects in Corneal Epithelial Cell Layers.
Disruption of the corneal epithelial (corneal epithelial) cell layer is a pathological feature of several ocular disorders including the potentially severe condition, neurotrophic keratitis (neurotrophic keratitis).
Corneal epithelial cells of the HCE-S line were grown in 96-well plates fitted with a silicon plug that occluded a 1 mm circular area in the center of each well.
Nerve growth factor increased the amount of closure of the defect after 24 h.
At a concentration of 250 nM, nerve growth factor produced a significant, 25 ± 9% increase in closure.
No further increase in effect was seen when the nerve growth factor concentration was increased to 500 nM.
The addition of both 250 nM nerve growth factor and 10% fetal bovine serum together produced no greater amount of closure than that produced by fetal bovine serum alone.
These findings are consistent with earlier data suggesting that nerve growth factor can promote corneal healing through a direct effect on corneal epithelial cells.
They also show that fetal bovine serum is more effective than nerve growth factor alone in producing this effect.
Since the therapeutic activity of nerve growth factor in neurotrophic keratitis may be partly mediated through a direct action on corneal epithelial cells, identifying the factors in fetal bovine serum that promote corneal healing might lead to more effective treatments for neurotrophic keratitis.