Retinal vascular development and pathologic retinal angiogenesis are not impaired in matrix metalloproteinase-2 deficient mice.
OBJECTIVE
Earlier studies have suggested a role for metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in retinal angiogenesis. To investigate this further, we have studied retinal vascular development and pathologic ischemia-induced retinal angiogenesis in MMP-2-deficient and wild-type mice.


METHODS
Vascular development of the retina was studied in retinal flatmounts, whereas pathologic retinal angiogenesis was analyzed in retinal flatmounts and on histologic sections using a model of ischemia-induced retinopathy. The time course of MMP-2 mRNA expression was determined by in situ hybridization and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).


RESULTS
Formation of the retinal vascular plexus was not significantly different in MMP-2-deficient mice as compared to wild-type mice. In ischemia-induced retinopathy, there was an increased formation of extraretinal neovascular tufts in the MMP-2-deficient mice (p < 0.05). MMP-2 mRNA expression did not correlate to either retinal vascular development or to ischemia-induced formation of extraretinal vascular tufts.


CONCLUSIONS
The current data suggest that MMP-2 is not essential for either retinal vascular development or pathologic retinal neovascularization in the mouse.
Sarman
Sylvia
S
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, St. Erik's Eye Hospital, SE-112 82 Stockholm, Sweden.
van der Ploeg
Ingeborg
I
Seregard
Stefan
S
Kvanta
Anders
A
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D003911:Dextrans; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005452:Fluoresceins; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010100:Oxygen / Q000633:toxicity; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D003911:Dextrans; D005452:Fluoresceins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C052526:fluorescein-dextran; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D010100:Oxygen