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Updated: Mar 9, 2026
Establishment of A Mouse Model of Aqueous Deficiency Dry Eye
Published on: November 1, 2024
Effect of trapping vascular endothelial growth factor-A in a murine model of dry eye with inflammatory
Jin Woo Kwon1, Jin A Choi1, Eun Young Shin2
1Department of Ophthalmology, St. Vincent's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 93 Ji-Dong, Paldal-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do 16247, South Korea.
Aim:
To evaluate whether trapping vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) would suppress angiogenesis and inflammation in dry eye corneas in a murine corneal suture model.
Methods:
We established two groups of animals, one with non-dry eyes and the other with induced dry eyes. In both groups, a corneal suture model was used to induce inflammation and neovascularization. Each of two groups was again divided into three subgroups according to the treatment; subgroup I (aflibercept), subgroup II (dexamethasone) and subgroup III (phosphate buffered saline, PBS). Corneas were harvested and immunohistochemical staining was performed to compare the extents of neovascularization and CD11b+ cell infiltration. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to quantify the expression of inflammatory cytokines and VEGF-A in the corneas.
Results:
Trapping VEGF-A with aflibercept resulted in significantly decreased angiogenesis and inflammation compared with the dexamethasone and PBS treatments in the dry eye corneas (all P<0.05), but with no such effects in non-dry eyes. The anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects of VEGF-A trapping were stronger than those of dexamethasone in both dry eye and non-dry eye corneas (all P<0.05). The levels of RNA expression of VEGF-A, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 in the aflibercept subgroup were significantly decreased compared with those in the PBS subgroup in the dry eye group.
Conclusion:
Compared with non-dry eye corneas, dry eye corneas have greater amounts of inflammation and neovascularization and also have a more robust response to anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic agents after ocular surface surgery. Trapping VEGF-A is effective in decreasing both angiogenesis and inflammation in dry eye corneas after ocular surface surgery.
