PDLIM1 suppresses retinal neovascularization by regulating the β-catenin pathway

Retinal neovascularization (RNV) is an important pathological change associated with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), which is a common cause of vision loss. PDZ and LIM domain protein 1 (PDLIM1) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR); however, the role of PDLIM1 in PDR remains unclear. We conducted gain-of-function studies using adenovirus infection and found that PDLIM1 overexpression inhibited the migration, proliferation, and tube formation of vascular endothelial cells. Moreover, PDLIM1 regulated the expression of β-catenin in vascular endothelial cells. Furthermore, in an oxygen-induced retinopathy model, PDLIM1 negatively regulated β-catenin, and the inhibition of PDLIM1 promoted RNV. In contrast, increased PDLIM1 levels significantly inhibited the formation of RNV. In summary, our findings provide evidence that PDLIM1 plays an important role in pathological neovascularization and may serve as a target for the treatment of RNV.