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Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C in human pterygium

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Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and its receptor VEGFR-3 mediate lymphangiogenesis. In this study, we analyzed the expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 as well as lymphatic vessels in the pterygium and normal conjunctiva of humans. Fifteen primary nasal pterygia and three normal bulbar conjunctivas, surgically removed, were examined in this study. The lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and blood vessel density were determined by the immunolabeling of D2-40 and CD31, markers for lymphatic and blood vessels, respectively. VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 expression in pterygial and conjunctival tissue proteins was detected by Western blotting and were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. The LVD was significantly higher in the pterygium than normal conjunctiva (p < 0.05). Western blot demonstrated high-level expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in the pterygium compared with normal conjunctiva. VEGF-C immunoreactivity was detected in the cytoplasm of pterygial and normal conjunctival epithelial cells. The number of VEGF-C-immunopositive cells in pterygial epithelial cells was significantly higher than in normal conjunctival cells (p < 0.05). VEGFR-3 immunoreactivity was localized in the D2-40-positive lymphatic endothelial cells. The present findings suggest the potential role of VEGF-C in the pathogenesis and development of a pterygium through lymphangiogenesis and the VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 pathway as a novel therapeutic target for the human pterygium.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Ikuyo Hirose and Shiho Namba for technical assistance in this study. This study was supported by a grant for Research on Sensory and Communicative Disorders from The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, and by grants-in-aid for Scientific Research from The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Ocular Cell Biology and Visual Science, Department of Ophthalmology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Nishi 7, Kita 15, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan

    Junichi Fukuhara, Satoru Kase, Ryo Ando, Zhenyu Dong, Kousuke Noda, Takeshi Ohguchi, Atsuhiro Kanda & Susumu Ishida

  2. Ohashi Eye Center, Sapporo, Japan

    Tsutomu Ohashi

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  1. Junichi Fukuhara
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  2. Satoru Kase
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  3. Tsutomu Ohashi
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  4. Ryo Ando
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  5. Zhenyu Dong
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  6. Kousuke Noda
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  7. Takeshi Ohguchi
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  8. Atsuhiro Kanda
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  9. Susumu Ishida
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Correspondence to Satoru Kase.

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Fukuhara, J., Kase, S., Ohashi, T. et al. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C in human pterygium. Histochem Cell Biol 139, 381–389 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-012-1019-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-012-1019-z

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