The present study characterizes the effects of resveratrol (Res) on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. ARPE-19 cells were treated with CoCl2, a hypoxia mimetic agent. CoCl2 treatment increased protein levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and CXC-chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), and secretion of VEGF. To confirm the effects of Res on VEGF secretion, the human umbilical vein endothelial cell tube formation assay was performed with conditioned medium from Res-treated ARPE-19 cells. The well-known antioxidant Res effectively blocked these effects and reduced phosphorylation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, an upstream activator of CXCR4. Furthermore, Res also suppressed VEGF secretion induced by SDF-1, a ligand of CXCR4. Conditioned medium from Res-treated ARPE-19 cells clearly suppressed tube formation compared with hypoxia-treated conditioned medium. The results demonstrated that Res inhibited the hypoxia mimetic CoCl2-induced expression of VEGF in ARPE-19 cells. Res suppressed CXCR4 expression through decreased phosphorylation of NF-κB, resulting in downregulation of VEGF secretion.
