Abstract
Purpose: :
IL-17 is an important proinflammatory cytokine in some autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis or Uveitis. And IL-17 also exhibited the angiogenic activity on tumor or joint neovascularization. We investigated the role of IL-17 in the development of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) using murine model.
Methods: :
Adult wild-type C57BL/6J mice were used to investigate the effect of IL-17 on the laser-induced CNV model with or without intravitreous injection of IL-17. IL-17 knockout mice were also investigated. Real-time PCR from the eyes were performed after laser photocoagulation. The CNV was assessed on day 7 by histological examination and image analysis of flat mounts from mice perfused with fluorescein-lableled dextran.
Results: :
Real-time PCR revealed that the RNA expression of IL-17 was significantly increased from day3 and peak at day4 after laser photocoagulation. The C57BL/6J mice injected recombinant IL-17 into vitreous cavity had significantly increased CNV area than control mice. And the area of CNV was significantly decreased in IL-17 knockout mice compared to wild-type mice.
Conclusions: :
These results suggested that IL-17 has the antiangiogenic activity in the development of laser-induced CNV.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • neovascularization