Intravitreal injection of ranibizumab and CTGF shRNA improves retinal gene expression and microvessel ultrastructure in a rodent model of diabetes.
Int J Mol Sci
; 15(1): 1606-24, 2014 Jan 22.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24451141
ABSTRACT
Therapeutic modalities targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been used to treat neovascularization and macular edema. However, anti-VEGF treatment alone may cause up-regulation of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in the retina, increasing the risk of fibrosis and tractional retinal detachment. Therefore, in this study, we employ a novel dual-target intervention that involves intravitreal injection of the VEGF inhibitor ranibizumab and a transfection reagent-treated non-viral vector carrying anti-CTGF short hairpin RNA (shRNA) driven by human RNA polymerase III promoter U6. The effects of the dual-target intervention on the expression of VEGF and CTGF and on microvessel ultrastructure were examined in retina of streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. CTGF was significantly up-regulated at week 8 after diabetic induction, whereas VEGF was not up-regulated until week 10. The high expression of both genes was maintained at week 12. Transmission electron microscopy also revealed progressive exacerbation of microvessel ultrastructure during the same period. In addition, ranibizumab significantly lowered VEGF but elevated CTGF mRNA, whereas CTGF shRNA significantly reduced the mRNA levels of both CTGF and VEGF in diabetic retinas. Importantly, dual-target intervention normalized the transcript levels of both target genes and ameliorated retinal microvessel ultrastructural damage better than either single-target intervention. These results suggest the advantages of dual-target over single-target interventions in diabetic retina and reveal a novel therapeutic modality for diabetic retinopathy.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Temas:
Geral
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Vasos Retinianos
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Diabetes Mellitus Experimental
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Retinopatia Diabética
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Fator de Crescimento do Tecido Conjuntivo
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Anticorpos Monoclonais Humanizados
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
/
Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Mol Sci
Ano de publicação:
2014
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China