Ocular neovascularization. Tissue culture studies.

The proliferative activity of a number of intraocular fluids, bovine retinal extract, and normal serum (from humans and cynomolgus monkeys) was investigated by in vitro tissue culture studies, with the use of tritiated thymidine incorporation by the cultured endothelial cells of human umbilical veins. There was increased tritiated thymidine incorporation by (1) the aqueous, vitreous, and intraocular fluid (IOF) (which filled the eye after lensectomy and vitrectomy) removed from cynomolgus monkey eyes with iris neovascularization or with neovascular glaucoma (NVG) that developed after experimental retinal vein occlusion, (2) by aqueous and vitreous removed from human eyes with NVG or proliferative diabetic retinopathy; (3) by the serum, and (4) by the bovine retinal extract. However, tritiated thymidine incorporation was not increased by the normal aqueous, vitreous, or IOF.