Development of a new mouse model of diabetic retinopathy and establishment of novel concepts for drug discovery

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H04997
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ophthalmology
• Research Institution: Nagoya City University
• Principal Investigator: Ogura Yuichiro 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 教授 (70191963)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 野崎 実穂 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 講師 (00295601) ; 安川 力 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 准教授 (00324632) ; 植村 明嘉 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 教授 (30373278) ; 平野 佳男 名古屋市立大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (40405163) ; 吉田 宗徳 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 准教授 (60273447)
• Research Collaborator: Koh Gou Young ; Kim Pilhan
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 糖尿病網膜症 / ペリサイト / 内皮細胞 / マクロファージ / VEGF-A / PlGF / Angiopoietin-2

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In diabetic retinopathy (DR), dropout of pericytes from capillary walls is assumed to initiate various vascular dysfunctions, including blood-retina barrier breakdown. However, hyperglycemic mice fail to reproduce retinal pathology characteristic of DR. In this research project, we established a new mouse model of DR in adult mice, by transiently inhibiting pericyte recruitment to developing retinal vessels during neonatal periods following single intraperitoneal injections of an anti-PDGFRβ antibody. Furthermore, we uncovered that endothelial cells and macrophages formed a cycle of vessel damage via VEGF-A, PlGF, and angiopoietin-2 in pericyte-deficient retinal vessels.

Free Research Field

眼科学