The roles of growth factors and cytokine in retinal neovascularization.

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We developed new animal models of ocular neovascularization. A rat model of subretinal neovascularization was made by a b-FGF containing pellet implanted between sensory retinal and retinal pigment epithelium. The subretinal neovascularization was very similar to human age-related macular degeneration histologically and histopathologically. Another model was preretinal neovascularization in rats, which was made by artificial retinal vein occlusion with photodynamic (Ar laser and fluorescein-Na) thrombosis in rat. This was the first rat model of preretinal neovascularization.Thalidomide is a well known teratogen in human. The drug which had an inhibitory effect in angiogenesis for rabbit corneal neovascularization is the only antiangiogenesis agent that is currently ready for human efficacy trials. We investigated the inhibitory effect of thalidomide using preretinal neovascularization model. Though there was no significant difference, it tended to have an inhibitory effect on retinal neovascularization in rats.We investigated the roles of growth factors and cytokines in pre- and sub- retinal neovascularization using rat models. We found a-FGF,b-FGF and VEGF had significant role in the development of above neovascularizations.We also attempted to improve the surgical result or clinical knowledge of diseases which develop the preretinal and/or subretinal neovascularization : retinopathy of prematurity, diabetes, age-related macular degeneration.