Antifibrotic Effect of Pirfenidone on Human Pterygium Fibroblasts

Objective: The effects of pirfenidone were investigated on cultured human pterygium fibroblasts (HPFs). Methods: HPFs were obtained from pterygium surgery and subjected to primary culture. After treatment with 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5mg/mL pirfenidone, MTT and cell migration assays were performed, and procollagen secretion and TGF-beta expression were measured by Western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis. Results: Pirfenidone had a significant inhibitory effect on HPF proliferation, migration and collagen synthesis. There were no differences between the cells treated with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5mg/mL pirfenidone and the controls in the MTT assay. After 48 h of treatment with 1.0 or 1.5mg/mL pirfenidone, TGF-b expression was significantly decreased. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that pirfenidone inhibits the proliferation, migration and procollagen secretion of HPFs at nontoxic concentrations by decreasing TGF-b expression. Thus, pirfenidone may be considered as a safe adjuvant for pterygium surgery to prevent recurrence.