Lentivirus-mediated expression of angiostatin efficiently inhibits neovascularization in a murine proliferative retinopathy model

Ischemic retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and age-related macular degeneration, are a major cause of blindness worldwide. Angiostatin is an internal peptide fragment of plasminogen that inhibits endothelial proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. We now demonstrate that HIV vector encoding angiostatin (HIV-angiostatin) can inhibit retinal neovascularization in a mouse model of proliferative retinopathy. Intravitreal injections of HIV-angiostatin led to stable expression of the angiostatin gene in retinal tissue. Retinal neovascularization was histologically quantitated by a masked protocol. Retinal neovascularization in the eye injected with HIV-angiostatin was reduced in 90% (9/10; P=0.025) of animals, compared with the eye injected with phosphate-buffered saline. Reduction of histologically evident neovascular nuclei per 6-microm section averaged 68%, with maximal inhibitory effects of 87%. Neovascularization was not reduced in the eyes injected with HIV vector encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein. This is the first report that HIV-angiostatin can reduce neovascular cell nuclei in a murine proliferative retinopathy model. These data suggest that the anti-angiogenic activity of angiostatin has therapeutic potential for the treatment of retinal neovascularization.