Placental extract suppresses the formation of fibrotic deposits by tumor necrosis factor alpha and transforming growth factor beta-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition in ARPE-19 cells

OBJECTIVE: Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and subsequent fibrosis. Previously, we demonstrated that placental extract ameliorates fibrosis in a mouse model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. In this study, we evaluated whether placental extract influences EMT and fibrosis through cytokine-induced EMT in the retinal pigment epithelial cells, in vitro. RESULTS: Placental extract did not inhibit EMT, but it suppressed excessive mesenchymal reactions and the subsequent fibrosis. These results suggest that placental extract effectively ameliorates EMT-associated fibrosis in PVR. This beneficial effect could be partially attributed to the suppression of excessive mesenchymal reactions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13104-021-05824-0.