The Effects of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Drugs on Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Culture

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs on retinal pigment epithelium cell culture.Materials and Methods: Aflibercept (0.5 mg/mL), bevacizumab (0.3125 mg/mL), and ranibizumab (0.125 mg/mL) were appliedto retinal pigment epithelium cell cultures isolated from the enucleated eyes of New Zealand white rabbits. Viability, apoptosis,proliferation, and senescence of the cells were evaluated in control and drug-treated cultures at the end of 72 hours.Results: Cells treated with aflibercept showed increased viability and decreased apoptosis compared to the control culture and boththe bevacizumab- and ranibizumab-treated groups (p