title: Vascular adhesion protein 1 in the eye.
abstract: Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase/vascular adhesion protein-1 (SSAO/VAP-1), a dual-function molecule with adhesive and enzymatic properties, is expressed on the surface of vascular endothelial cells of mammals. It also exists as a soluble form (sVAP-1), which is implicated in oxidative stress via its enzymatic activity and can be a prognostic biomarker. Recent evidence suggests that VAP-1 is an important therapeutic target for several inflammation-related ocular diseases, such as uveitis, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy (DR), by involving in the recruitment of leukocytes at sites of inflammation. Furthermore, VAP-1 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of conjunctival inflammatory diseases such as pyogenic granulomas and the progression of conjunctival lymphoma. VAP-1 may be an alternative therapeutic target in ocular diseases. The in vivo imaging of inflammation using VAP-1 as a target molecule is a novel approach with a potential for early detection and characterization of inflammatory diseases. This paper reviews the critical roles of VAP-1 in ophthalmological diseases which may provide a novel research direction or a potent therapeutic strategy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 246 Xuefu Road, Harbin 150001, China ; Harbin Medical University-The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Chinese Ministry of Education, Harbin 150001, China.
authors.forename: Wenting
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Zhongyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sun