Abstract
Purpose:
Lymphatic research has progressed rapidly in recent years. Lymphatic dysfunction is associated with many disorders from cancer metastasis to transplant rejection. However, to date, there is still little effective treatment for lymphatic disorders. This study is to investigate the specific roles of Ang-2 in corneal lymphangiogenesis (LG) and lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) functions in vitro.
Methods:
Murine suture-induced corneal inflammatory LG and human primary LEC culture models were used in the study. The expressional changes of Ang-2 during corneal inflammation were assessed at both mRNA and protein levels. Additionally, human LECs were transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) against Ang-2 or nonspecific scramble control. The effects of Ang-2 gene knockdown on cell proliferation and tube formation were both analyzed.
Results:
Ang-2 expression was significantly up-regulated in inflamed cornea. Ang-2 was expressed on both lymphatic vessels and macrophages. Moreover, Ang-2 gene knockdown in LECs suppressed both proliferation and tube formation of these cells.
Conclusions:
These new findings indicate that Ang-2 is critically involved in lymphatic processes. Further investigation on this pathway may provide novel insights and therapeutic strategies for lymphatic disorders, which occur both inside and outside the eye.
Keywords: 609 neovascularization •
480 cornea: basic science •
479 cornea: clinical science