title: Anti-apoptosis effects of vascular endothelial cadherin in experimental corneal neovascularization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effects and mechanism of vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) on experimental corneal neovascularization (CRNV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Mouse corneas were burned with sodium hydroxide to build a CRNV model. The burned corneas were locally administrated with anti-mouse VE-cadherin neutralizing antibody. Annexin V and cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) double staining was used to measure vascular endothelial cell apoptosis with the use of flow cytometry (FCM). The protein expression of NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2), caspase-3, and protein kinase C (PKC) in the burned corneas were examined by Western blot. Human retinal endothelial cell (HREC) proliferation was detected using a Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay in vitro.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The amount of CRNV peaked two weeks after the alkali burn. FCM confirmed that VE-cadherin neutralizing antibody treatment increased CD31 positive cell apoptosis. Western blot revealed that the intracorneal protein expression of Nox2 and caspase-3 were up-regulated, while PKC was down-regulated in the VE-cadherin neutralizing antibody administrated group. CCK-8 assay showed that VE-cadherin neutralizing antibody markedly inhibited HREC proliferation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VE-cadherin exhibited an anti-apoptosis effect through enhanced PKC signaling and an enhanced cell proliferation pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China ; Jiangsu Clinical Immunology Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Gao-Qin
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Clinical Immunology Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Ya
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Meng-Jiao
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China ; Jiangsu Clinical Immunology Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Pei-Rong
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Clinical Immunology Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Xue-Guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: chemokine; cornea; neovascularization; vascular endothelial cadherin