Corticosteroids inhibit VEGF-induced vascular leakage in a rabbit model of blood-retinal and blood-aqueous barrier breakdown.

Purpose: Recent clinical studies show that a single intravitreal injection of the corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide (TAA) may reduce edematous retinal swelling and improve visual acuity in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). In addition, clinical and experimental studies strongly suggest that blood-retinal barrier breakdown in diabetes is induced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). These results suggest that corticosteroids may modulate VEGF-mediated responses in vivo.

Effect of COX inhibitors on VEGF-induced retinal vascular leakage and experimental corneal and choroidal neovascularization.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), in two in vivo models of VEGF-dependent corneal and choroidal angiogenesis and two in vivo models of VEGF-mediated vascular leakage. Non-selective COX inhibitors (the NSAIDs indomethacin and flunixin, p.o.