Opticin Suppresses Preretinal Neovascularization, But Does Not Influence Vascular Development In The Murine Eye

Abstract

Purpose: : To investigate whether a lack of the extracellular matrix glycoprotein opticin affects retinal vascular development or pathological angiogenesis in the eye.

Methods: : In these experiments opticin null and wild-type mice were compared. The hyaloid vasculature was quantified at P0 and P4 by analysing serial sections through the entire globe. Retinal vascular development at P4 and P7 was analysed by fluorescently-labeling the vasculature in flat mounts. The oxygen-induced retinopathy model was used to assess the effects of a lack of opticin on ischaemia-induced retinal vascular changes and preretinal neovascularization; the results were quantified using SWIFT_NV software.

Results: : Analyses of the hyaloid and retinal vasculature showed that a lack of opticin had no effect on hyaloid vascular regression or development of the retinal vasculature. However, using the oxygen-induced retinopathy model, we demonstrated that opticin knockout mice had decreased retinal vascular pruning at P12, although there were no differences in the hyaloid vasculature at this time point, but increased preretinal neovascularization at P17 compared to wild-type mice.

Conclusions: : A lack of opticin does not influence vascular development, but opticin is anti-angiogenic and inhibits preretinal neovascularization.

Keywords: neovascularization • extracellular matrix • development