Erythropoietin receptor antibody inhibits oxidative stress induced retinal neovascularization in mice.

AIM: To observe the effect of erythropoietin receptor antibody (EpoRA) on oxygen-induced retinal neovascularization. METHODS: C57BL / 6J mice, newly born 7 days, were exposed in high oxygen for 5 days and then placed in normal air for another 5 days, thus the animal models of retinal neovascularization were made. Experimental animals were allocated into 3 groups: normal, experimental and therapeutic. The normal group was fed in the normal environment. Into the vitreous cavity of mice in the therapeutic group were injected 2µL of EpoRA for 5 successive days. And the experimental group was injected the same amount of normal saline. Mice were sacrificed 17 days after birth and their eyeballs were removed for detection of malonaldehyde(MDA) content in the retina and by HE staining endothelial cells were counted the breaking through internal limiting membrane. RESULTS: In the experimental group, MDA content in the retina was 25.11±3.46µmol/g , which was obviously less than those in the normal group(5.34±1.79µmol/g, P<0.01) and those in the therapeutic group (12.04±1.91µmol/g). Pathological sections showed the nuclear number of the endothelial cells breaking through internal limiting membrane was 0.7±0.2 in normal group, and 46.2±6.5 in high oxygen induced experimental group. In the therapeutic group injected with EpoRA, it was lowered to 24.0±5.0 (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: EpoRA can effectively inhibit oxygen-induced neovascularization in retina of mouse by reducing oxidative damage.