Abstract: Objective: To explore the effect of rapamycin on the proliferation and differentiation of human Tenon′s capsule fibroblasts in cell cycles. Methods: The cultured fibroblasts were treated in DMEM medium containing various concentrations of rapamycin for 24 hours. The growth of fibroblasts was measured by a methylthiazlyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The flow cytometry method was used to evaluate the cell cycles. Results: Proliferation of fibroblasts were suppressed by rapamycin from a dose of 10?ng/ml to 160ng/ml(P＜0.05)． The cell growth inhibition rate treated with rapamycin concentrations of 10ng/ml, 20ng/ml, 40ng/ml, 80ng/ml, and 160ng/ml were 9.32%, 22.55%, 41.42%, 42.25%, and 43.57% respectively. The cell population was significantly increased at the G0/Gl phase from 41.76% to 44.19% and decreased at the S phase from 45.42% to 40.18% after the rapamycin treatment． Conclusion: Rapamycin is a potential inhibitor that blocks the proliferation of human Tenon′s capsule fibroblasts at the Gl restriction point．

Key words: Rapamycin, Tenon′s capsule, Fibroblasts, Glaucoma