14
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: not found

      Subfoveal fibrovascular membranes in age-related macular degeneration express vascular endothelial growth factor.

      Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
      Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Choroid, metabolism, pathology, physiopathology, Endothelial Growth Factors, biosynthesis, Female, Fovea Centralis, blood supply, Gene Expression, Humans, In Situ Hybridization, Inflammation, Lymphokines, Macular Degeneration, surgery, Male, Middle Aged, Neovascularization, Pathologic, RNA, Messenger, analysis, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPubMed
      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent and specific angiogenic growth factor, in vitro and in vivo, that may be associated with the development of intraocular neovascularization. In the current study, the authors analyze the expression of VEGF in subfoveal fibrovascular membranes from patients with age-related macular degeneration. Surgically removed subfoveal fibrovascular membranes from 18 eyes were analyzed for the expression of VEGF mRNA and protein using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Most specimens expressed both VEGF mRNA and protein. The VEGF mRNA expression was particularly high in areas with a marked inflammatory response, in which the expression was concentrated to cells resembling fibroblasts and to surrounding inflammatory cells. VEGF protein expression was seen in fibrovascular parts of the membranes and was predominantly localized to the cytoplasm of fibroblastlike cells. In some of these membranes, strong VEGF protein immunoreactivity also was concentrated to extracellular matrix foci within the fibrovascular stroma. Results indicate that VEGF may be of pathogenetic importance for the development of the choroidal neovascularization (age-related macular degeneration) and also may implicate a role of fibroblasts of presumable choroidal origin in this process.

          Related collections

          Author and article information

          Comments

          Comment on this article