Expression of IGFBP-3 by human retinal endothelial cell cultures: IGFBP-3 involvement in growth inhibition and apoptosis.

PURPOSE Growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and somatostatin (SST) modulate each other's actions. SST analogues have been successfully used to treat proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) that is unresponsive to laser therapy and to retard the progression of severe nonproliferative retinopathy to PDR. In this study, the endogenous expression of IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-3 was examined in human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs), the direct effects of IGFBP-3 on HRECs were evaluated, and the possible involvement of IGFBP-3 in mediating the growth inhibitory effects of SST receptor (SSTR) agonists in HRECs was assessed. METHODS The cellular localization of IGFBP-3 was examined with anti-IGFBP-3 and fluorescein-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG. HRECs were exposed to varying concentrations of human recombinant IGFBP-3, and growth inhibition was evaluated by thiazolyl blue (MTT) conversion. Apoptosis was examined using fluorochrome-annexin V staining. Conditioned media (CM) from SSTR2 agonist (L779976)-treated or SSTR3 agonist (L796778)-treated HRECs were analyzed by ELISA for changes in expression of IGFBP-3. RESULTS HREC immunostaining showed cell surface and cytoplasmic IGFBP-3. Exogenous IGFBP-3 induced a dose-dependent inhibition of HREC proliferation and staining with fluorochrome-annexin V showed numerous apoptotic HRECs. HRECs exposed to the SSTR2 or SSTR3 agonists expressed IGFBP-3 in a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS Cultured HRECs expressed endogenous IGFBP-3. Exogenous administration of IGFBP-3-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis, supporting a regulatory role for IGFBP-3 in endothelial cells. SSTR agonists mediate their growth-inhibitory effect, in part, by increasing expression of IGFBP-3.