Figure 7. Inhibition of TGFβ-induced changes by suramin: H&E staining

Lenses from immature rats were cultured with 1.2 ng/ml TGFβ alone (A), with TGFβ supplemented with 100 μM suramin (B) or without TGFβ or suramin (C). Lenses were collected on day 4 (A,B) or day 5 (C) and processed for routine histology. TGFβ alone induced typical subcapsular plaques and extensive multilayering of the epithelium (A). Including suramin with TGFβ (B) prevented plaque formation and reduced multilayering. The epithelium consisted of a bilayer of cells, with a layer of elongated cells underlying a more cuboidal layer. The epithelium of the lens cultured without suramin or TGFβ consisted of a monolayer of cuboidal cells (C), as in the normal lens in situ. The fiber mass (fm) is labelled. Bar represents 50 μm.