[Pigment epithelium-derived factor and its application in retinal angiogenic diseases]

Retinal neovascularization (RNV) is one of the most important causes of blindness. No efficient treatment for RNV is available. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a natural inhibitor of angiogenesis. It plays an important role in the modulation of ocular neovascularization. It has been demonstrated recently that the ischemia-induced retinal neovascularization can be dramatically inhibited by the recombinant PEDF protein or local viral vector-mediated delivery of PEDF cDNA, which predicts PEDF to be an optional strategy for intractable retinal angiogenic diseases like diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and central retinal vein occlusion. Therefore, it is necessary to review the biological aspects of PEDF, its effect on the inhibition of angiogenesis and the prospect of using PEDF for the treatment of retinal neovascularization.