Research on the apelin as a therapeutic target molecule in ischemic retinopathy using genetically modified animals

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24590131
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biological pharmacy
• Research Institution: Setsunan University
• Principal Investigator: MAEDA Sadaaki 摂南大学, 薬学部, 教授 (00135732)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YOSHIOKA Yasuhiro 摂南大学, 薬学部, 講師 (40330360) ; YAMAMURO Akiko 摂南大学, 薬学部, 助手 (20340862) ; ISHIMARU Yuki 摂南大学, 薬学部, 助教 (80611607)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: アペリン / 虚血性網膜症 / 網膜血管新生 / 血管成熟化 / MCP-1 / 血管壁細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Ischemic retinopathy such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy causes blindness through the hemorrhage in immature vessels formed by the progression of the diseases. Therefore, there is a need to identify mechanisms of vascular maturation, which is the stage of mural cell adhesion to endothelial cells for stabilization of blood vessels, for the treatment of ischemic retinopathy. In this study, we revealed that inhibition of apelin expression induced the vessel maturation in the retina of an ischemic retinopathy model mouse. Moreover, we demonstrated that apelin blockade in cultured-endothelial cells led to increase of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) which is a mural cell recruitment factor.

Free Research Field

神経薬理学、血管薬理学