Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common ocular complication in diabetic patients, which is chronic and progressive and seriously impairs visual acuity. The rapid occurrence and progress of cataract in diabetic patients is also one of the important reasons for visual impairment in DR patients. Compared with non-diabetic patients, diabetic patients have higher risk of complications after cataract surgery. Studies have shown that anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy after cataract surgery can prevent the aggravation of diabetic macular edema in DR patients. However, due to the lack of systematic review of the clinical effect of anti-VEGF drugs in DR patients undergoing cataract surgery, the use of anti-VEGF drugs is relatively conservative in clinic. It is believed that with the deepening of research and the progress of clinical trials, the wide application of anti-VEGF drugs in clinical practice is expected to provide more accurate and effective treatment for DR patients in the future.
Objective To construct specifically expressed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165 gene in retina. Methods Rho promoter, specifically expressed in retina, was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from the genomic DNA of a BLAB/C rat, then it was cut with restriction enzymes and cloned into the plasmid pcDNA3.1+-VEGF165 to form recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1+-rho-VEGF165. The correct recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1+-rho-VEGF165 was identified by restriction enzymes and PCR, and was transferred by jetPEI into cultured human navel vein endothelial cells and human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. The expression of VEGF protein in human navel vein endothelial and RPE cells was detected by immunocytochemical staining and protraction of the growth curve of the cells. Results In human RPE cells, the expression of VEGF protein was more in recombinant plasmidpcDNA3.1+-rho-VEGF165 than that in plasmidpcDNA3.1+-rho-VEGF165 ; in human navel vein endothelial cells, no obvious difference of the expression of VEGF protein between recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1+-rho-VEGF165 and plasmid pcDNA3.1+-rho-VEGF165 was found. Conclusions The construction of pcDNA3.1+-rho-VEGF165 carrier may provide the basic material for the study of the nosogenesis of VEGF in retinal neovascularization, and establish the foundation to set up the model of transgenic mice with VEGF specific expressing in retina. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2005,21:106-108)