Pericytes and the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy

Hammes, HP; Lin, J; Renner, O; Shani, M; Lundqvist, A; Betsholtz, C; Brownlee, M; Deutsch, U (2002). Pericytes and the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes, 51(10), pp. 3107-12. Alexandria, Va.: American Diabetes Association 10.2337/diabetes.51.10.3107

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Pericytes provide vascular stability and control endothelial proliferation. Pericyte loss, microaneurysms, and acellular capillaries are characteristic for the diabetic retina. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B is involved in pericyte recruitment, and brain capillaries of mice with a genetic ablation of PDGF-B show pericyte loss and microaneurysms. We investigated the role of capillary coverage with pericytes in early diabetic retinopathy and the contribution to proliferative retinopathy using mice with a single functional allele of PDGF-B (PDGF-B(+/-) mice). As assessed by quantitative morphometry of retinal digest preparations, pericyte numbers in nondiabetic PDGF-B(+/-) mice were reduced by 30% compared with wild-type mice, together with a small but significant increase in acellular capillaries. Pericyte numbers were reduced by 40% in diabetic wild-type mice compared with nondiabetic wild-type controls. Pericyte numbers were decreased by 50% in diabetic PDGF-B(+/-) mice compared with nondiabetic wild-type littermates, and the incidence of acellular capillaries was increased 3.5-fold when compared with nondiabetic PDGF-B(+/-) mice. To investigate the effect of pericyte loss in the context of ongoing angiogenesis, we subjected mice to hypoxia-induced proliferative retinopathy. As a result, PDGF-B(+/-) mice developed twice as many new blood vessels as their wild-type littermates. We conclude that retinal capillary coverage with pericytes is crucial for the survival of endothelial cells, particularly under stress conditions such as diabetes. At high vascular endothelial growth factor levels, such as those in the retinopathy of prematurity model, pericyte deficiency leads to reduced inhibition of endothelial proliferation in vivo.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Theodor Kocher Institute
UniBE Contributor:	Deutsch, Urban
ISSN:	0012-1797
ISBN:	12351455
Publisher:	American Diabetes Association
Language:	English
Submitter:	Factscience Import
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 14:52
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:16
Publisher DOI:	10.2337/diabetes.51.10.3107
PubMed ID:	12351455
Web of Science ID:	000178336600034
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/22218 (FactScience: 32290)