Objective To evaluate the effect of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in the process of retinal neovascularization induced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Methods The ILK activities of retinal choriodal endothelial cell line RF/6A were inhibited by LY294002 or siRNA knockdown. VEGF-induced changes of cell adhesion, proliferation, migration and endothelial cell tube-formation were measured then. The in-vivo effects of ILK were also assessed by intraperitoneal injection of LY294002 into an animal model of RNV. Results The cell adhesion measurements of control group, VEGF group, VEGF＋LY294002 group and VEGF＋siRNA group were 0.0726 plusmn;0.01961, 0.1137 plusmn;0.02631, 0.0837 plusmn;0.01503 and 0.0853 plusmn;0.02454 , respectively. The difference was statistically significant between VEGF group and control group（t =4.211，P lt;0.01）, and between (VEGF＋LY294002) group or (VEGF＋siRNA) group and control group (t =3.074, 2.91，P lt;0.01). The cell proliferation results of control group, VEGF group and VEGF＋LY294002 group were 0.4162 plusmn;0.1392, 0.6412 plusmn;0.2420, 0.4476 plusmn;0.1834 , respectively. The difference was statistically significant between VEGF group and control group（t=2.608，P lt;0.05）, and between (VEGF＋LY294002) group and VEGF group（t=2.244，P lt;0.05）.The cell migration results of control group, VEGF group and VEGF＋LY294002 group were 83.66 plusmn;30.283, 248 plusmn;74.748, 138.5 plusmn;38.167, respectively. The difference was statistically significant between VEGF group and control group（t=5.436，P lt;0.01）, and between (VEGF＋LY294002) group and VEGF group（t=3.682，P lt;0.01）. There was no obvious tube-formation after ILK activity was inhibited or knocked down. The non-perfusion areas were increased from （62798 plusmn;16995.62） mu;m2 to （84722.65 plusmn;10435.01） mu;m2 after intraperitoneal injection of LY294002 into animal model of RNV, the difference was statistically significant（t=3.476，P lt;0.01）. Conclusions ILK may play an important role in the process of VEGF-induced retinal neovascularization by regulating the cellular adhesion, proliferation, migration and tube-formation, as all those cellular functions were supressed obviously after the ILK activity was inhibited by LY294002 or the ILK expression was knocked down by siRNA.

Citation： He Zou Xiaoxin Li Wenzhen Yu Zheng Yan Tonghe Zhang Xiaoguang Zhang. Integrin-linked kinase and retinal neovascularization induced by vascular endothelial growth factor. Chinese Journal of Ocular Fundus Diseases, 2008, 24(6): 431-435. doi: Copy