Effects of emulsification, purity, and fluorination of silicone oil on human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

When silicone oil is used as a vitreous substitute, reproliferation of vitreoretinal membranes beneath the oil occurs frequently. Nevertheless, the effects of various properties of silicone oils such as purity, viscosity, fluorination, or emulsification on cellular proliferation have not been established. Human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells were grown to confluence on filters, and then covered with silicone oil. The cellular monolayers were fed from below. At 72 hr and 14 days a proliferation index was determined by measuring 3H-thymidine incorporation into the cells. An assay for the enzyme gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (gamma GTP) was also done to assess cell polarization under some oils. A total of 14 different oils were studied. At 72 hr, emulsified oil was associated with significantly less proliferation than unemulsified oil, a difference that disappeared at 2 weeks. Neither fluorination nor viscosity had a significant effect on RPE proliferation. In addition, RPE proliferation indices were not significantly different from one another when purified oils were compared with most commercial-grade oils. However, a very contaminated oil was associated with a significantly higher proliferation index compared with severe purified or medical-grade oils.