Objective: The incidence of blindness is increasing because of the increase in abnormal ocular neovascularization. Anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) therapies have led to good results, although they are not a cure for the blindness. The purpose of this study was to determine what role HB-EGF (heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor) plays in ocular angiogenesis.
Approach And Results: We examined the role played by HB-EGF in ocular neovascularization in 2 animal models of neovascularization: laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and oxygen-induced retinopathy. We also studied human retinal microvascular endothelial cells in culture. Our results showed that the neovascularization was decreased in both the CNV and oxygen-induced retinopathy models in HB-EGF conditional knockout mice compared with that in wild-type mice. Moreover, the expressions of HB-EGF and VEGF were increased after laser-induced CNV and oxygen-induced retinopathy, and their expression sites were located around the neovascular areas. Exposure of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells to HB-EGF and VEGF increased their proliferation and migration, and CRM-197 (cross-reactive material-197), an HB-EGF inhibitor, decreased the HB-EGF-induced and VEGF-induced cell proliferation and migration. VEGF increased the expression of mRNA. VEGF-dependent activation of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)/ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2) signaling and cell proliferation of endothelial cells required stimulation of the ADAM17 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) and ADAM12. CRM-197 decreased the grades of the fluorescein angiograms and size of the CNV areas in marmoset monkeys.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that HB-EGF plays an important role in the development of CNV. Therefore, further investigations of HB-EGF are needed as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/ATVBAHA.117.310337 | DOI Listing |
Curr Eye Res
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Purpose: This study aims to conduct a mini review of published literature concerning the role of exosomes in the field of ophthalmology, with a specific focus on Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
Methods: In this study, a comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar to identify relevant publications. Additionally, trials submitted to clinicaltrials.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.
Purpose: Ocular neovascularization is a major cause of blindness. Although fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of angiogenesis, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of FGF2 in retinal neovascularization and elucidate its underlying mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt Ophthalmol
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, Xingtai People's Hospital, Xingtai, 054001, Hebei, China.
Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major cause of childhood blindness worldwide, highlighted by retinal neovascularization. Ubiquitin is present throughout the retina. The deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin-specific protease 39 (USP39) has been reported to be involved in angiogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOphthalmologie
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland.
The accurate diagnosis of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and its distinction from differential diagnoses is crucial for effective patient counseling and treatment. This is achieved through a targeted patient history and multimodal imaging, which distinguish CSC from other ocular diseases also characterized by subretinal fluid and changes in the retinal pigment epithelium. In this article we identify the key differential diagnoses of CSC and illustrate the characteristic differential diagnostic features of each disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Ophthalmol
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawadacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan.
Background: To report a case of intraocular inflammation (IOI) after intravitreal injection of aflibercept 8 mg for treatment-refractory neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
Case Presentation: An 80-year-old man with diabetes mellitus had neovascular age-related macular degeneration refractory to treatment with aflibercept 2 mg. Despite ten injections of faricimab, the exudation remained, and we switched to brolucizumab, which resulted in a mild IOI.
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