Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026
09:56
Cochlear Implantation in the Guinea Pig
Published on: June 15, 2018
11.8K
BMP2 inhibits myopia progression by upregulating PPARγ in guinea pigs
Zhaoying Cai1, Zhiyang Wang2, Ying Zhu1
1Tianjin Key Laboratory of Retinal Functions and Diseases, Tianjin Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Disease, Eye Institute and School of Optometry, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Experimental Eye Research
|January 26, 2026
Summary
Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) may be a new treatment for myopia. This study found BMP2 levels decrease in myopia and that BMP2 injections helped reduce myopia progression in animal models.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Molecular Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Myopia is a global epidemic with limited treatment options.
- Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) plays a role in eye development, but its function in myopia is unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of BMP2 in myopia development.
- To explore BMP2 as a potential therapeutic agent for myopia.
Main Methods:
- Assessed BMP2 levels in guinea pigs with form-deprivation myopia (FDM).
- Administered exogenous BMP2 via subconjunctival injections.
- Evaluated effects on choroidal blood perfusion (ChBP), myopia progression, scleral Collagen type I alpha 1 expression, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) levels.
- Utilized an in vitro hypoxia model with human scleral fibroblasts to examine the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ).
Main Results:
- Scleral BMP2 levels were significantly decreased in FDM guinea pigs.
- BMP2 injections partially prevented myopia development and improved ChBP.
- BMP2 counteracted myopia-induced decreases in Collagen type I alpha 1 and increases in HIF-1α.
- Inhibition of PPARγ reversed BMP2's effects on extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling in vitro.
Conclusions:
- BMP2 inhibits myopia development and regulates scleral ECM remodeling.
- BMP2 acts, in part, by enhancing PPARγ signaling.
- BMP2 is a promising, accessible candidate for myopia management.
Related Concept Videos
00:46Feedback Inhibition
57.1K
Biochemical reactions are occurring constantly in cells, converting starting substances to different products, usually with the help of enzymes that speed the reactions. Without enzymes, it would take far too long for most reactions to occur to be useful to the cell!
57.1K
02:07Tumor Progression
7.4K
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
7.4K
01:30Enzyme Inhibition
91.9K
Inhibitors are molecules that reduce enzyme activity by binding to the enzyme. In a normally functioning cell, enzymes are regulated by a variety of inhibitors. Drugs and other toxins can also inhibit enzymes. Some inhibitors bind to the enzyme’s active site, while others inhibit enzymatic activity by binding to other sites on the protein structure.
91.9K
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
4.7K
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
4.7K
02:34Inhibition of Cdk Activity
6.0K
The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
6.0K
02:23Master Transcription Regulators
7.8K
Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
7.8K