The Effects of Ascorbic Acid on Free Radical Injury in Cultured Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of ascorbic acid on oxidative injury of cultured porcine retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells induced by t-butylhydroperoxide. The porcine RPE cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium and the culture medium was replaced with one containing 0.01mM to 5mM ascorbic acid and/or 0.2mM t-butylhydroperoxide. After 2 hours incubation, the test medium was replaced with the control medium. The number of cells was counted with a Coulter counter after a 2-day incubation period. The medium was pretreated with 900U/ml and the previous procedure was repeated to eliminate the toxic effects of hydrogen peroxide induced by ascorbic acid.