Role of cardiac glycosides in regulation of the growth of retinal tissue explants.

We studied the role of cardiac glycosides in the regulation of the growth of retinal tissue explants from 10-12-day-old chicken embryos in organotypic culture. The studied compounds produced a dose-dependent effect on cell proliferation in retinal tissue explants. Ouabain (10(-13)M), strophanthin K (10(-13)M) and digoxin (10(-11)M) significantly stimulated explant growth. It was hypothesized that the physiological role of endogenous ouabain is associated with regulation of tissue modeling.