Article

Corneal (lymph)angiogenesis--from bedside to bench and back: a tribute to Judah Folkman.

Department of Ophthalmology and Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Lymphatic Research and Biology 02/2008; 6(3-4):191-201. DOI:10.1089/lrb.2008.6348 pp.191-201
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT The normal cornea, the transparent "windscreen" of the eye, is devoid of both blood and lymphatic vessels. Nevertheless, both hem- and lymphangiogenesis can occur in response to severe corneal inflammation and can lead to blindness. Judah Folkman and co-workers exceedingly used the normally avascular cornea as the in vivo model system to study the mechanisms of angiogenesis and to test activators and inhibitors of angiogenesis in the last 3 decades. Recently, the cornea also became a successful model to study especially inflammatory lymphangiogenesis. As the last step in the circle from bedside to bench and back, we now are seeing the first (usually off-label) use of specific novel angiogenesis inhibitors in the diseased and pathologically vascularized human cornea to treat sight-threatening corneal angiogenesis and to promote graft survival after corneal transplantation by inhibiting lymphangiogenesis.

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Keywords

angiogenesis
 
avascular cornea
 
bedside
 
blindness
 
graft survival
 
hem-
 
inhibiting lymphangiogenesis
 
Judah Folkman
 
last 3 decades
 
last step
 
lymphangiogenesis
 
pathologically vascularized human cornea
 
severe corneal inflammation
 
sight-threatening corneal angiogenesis
 
specific novel angiogenesis inhibitors
 
successful model
 
test activators
 
transparent
 
vivo model system
 

Birgit Regenfuss