Mitomycin C, curcumin, and fibrin glue inhibit the cell proliferation and expression of TGF-β in human pterygium fibroblast

Introduction: High recurrence of a fibrotic disease, pterygium, following the surgical procedure is perceived as the primary challenge of its management. As the standard procedure, adjuvant therapy of using mitomycin C could dramatically reduce the recurrence of pterygium but could cause multiple serious complications. Our study aimed to investigate curcumin and fibrin glue as alternative candidates for adjuvant therapy in pterygium surgery. Methods: Human pterygium fibroblast (HPF) was isolated from the patient and cultured in-vitro. The HPF culture was then exposed with mitomycin C (0.4 mg/mL), curcumin (200 μmol/L), and fibrin glue, respectively, for 48 hours. The outcomes were determined by the proliferation of HPF and the expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) which were obtained from 2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay and immunofluorescence staining analysis with TGF-β antibody. Results: The experiment revealed that mitomycin C, curcumin, and fibrin glue could significantly inhibit the proliferation of HPF (p<0.05) suggesting their antifibrotic effect. Further analysis with immunofluorescence staining showed that mitomycin C, curcumin, and fibrin glue could significantly reduce the level of TGF-β as compared with control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Mitomycin C was the most potent adjuvant agent to reduce the recurrence of pterygium, followed by curcumin and fibrin glue. Taken altogether, curcumin and fibrin glue have role as adjuvant therapy to prevent recurrence in pterygium surgery.