• Online Features  This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Correction  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (25)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Macular Disorders  • Retinal/ Chorioretinal Disorders  • Articles for Residents  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Esther J. Kuiper, MD; Marc D. de Smet, MD, CM, PhD; Jan C. van Meurs, MD, PhD; H. Stevie Tan, MD, PhD; Michael W. T. Tanck, PhD; Noelynn Oliver, PhD; Frans A. van Nieuwenhoven, PhD; Roel Goldschmeding, MD, PhD; Reinier O. Schlingemann, MD, PhD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2006;124:1457-1462.

Objective  To investigate the expression of the profibrotic connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in relation to severity of intraocular fibrosis and neovascularization in human vitreoretinal disorders for the identification of potential therapeutic targets to prevent fibrosis.

Methods  Concentrations of CTGF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 119 vitreous samples from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, epiretinal membrane, and macular hole. Clinical data, including degree of intraocular fibrosis and neovascularization, were collected using standardized forms.

Results  Multifactorial analysis revealed that only CTGF levels correlated highly significantly with degree of fibrosis in the various vitreoretinal disorders studied (P<.001; R² = 47.7%). Likewise, variation in degree of fibrosis was best predicted by CTGF levels (P<.001).

Conclusion  The strong correlation between CTGF levels and degree of fibrosis in vitreoretinal disorders suggests that CTGF is an important factor in ocular fibrosis, similar to its role in pathologic fibrosis in other organs.

Clinical Relevance  Connective tissue growth factor may be a therapeutic target for prevention of sight-threatening vitreoretinal scarring in the eye.

Author Affiliations: Ocular Angiogenesis Group, Department of Ophthalmology (Drs Kuiper, de Smet, Tan, and Schlingemann), and Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Dr Tanck), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Ophthalmology, Rotterdam Eye Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (Dr van Meurs); Fibrogen Inc, San Francisco, Calif (Dr Oliver); and Department of Pathology, Academic Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands (Drs van Nieuwenhoven and Goldschmeding).

CiteULike    Connotea    Delicious    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

A shift in the balance of vascular endothelial growth factor and connective tissue growth factor by bevacizumab causes the angiofibrotic switch in proliferative diabetic retinopathy
Van Geest et al.
Br J Ophthalmol 2012;0:bjophthalmol-2011-301005v-bjophthalmol-2011-301005.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Role of Connective Tissue Growth Factor in the Retinal Vasculature during Development and Ischemia
Pi et al.
IOVS 2011;52:8701-8710.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Inhibition of Connective Tissue Growth Factor Overexpression in Diabetic Retinopathy by SERPINA3K via Blocking the WNT/{beta}-Catenin Pathway
Zhang et al.
Diabetes 2010;59:1809-1816.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Differential TGF-{beta} Signaling in Retinal Vascular Cells: A Role in Diabetic Retinopathy?
Van Geest et al.
IOVS 2010;51:1857-1865.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Cysteine-rich 61, a Member of the CCN Family, as a Factor Involved in the Pathogenesis of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
You et al.
IOVS 2009;50:3447-3455.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Connective Tissue Growth Factor as a Mediator of Intraocular Fibrosis
He et al.
IOVS 2008;49:4078-4088.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Connective Tissue Growth Factor Is Necessary for Retinal Capillary Basal Lamina Thickening in Diabetic Mice
Kuiper et al.
J Histochem Cytochem 2008;56:785-792.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Angiogenesis Is Not Impaired in Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) Knock-out Mice
Kuiper et al.
J Histochem Cytochem 2007;55:1139-1147.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of VEGF-A on Expression of Profibrotic Growth Factor and Extracellular Matrix Genes in the Retina
Kuiper et al.
IOVS 2007;48:4267-4276.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Form-Deprivation Myopia in Chick Induces Limited Changes in Retinal Gene Expression
McGlinn et al.
IOVS 2007;48:3430-3436.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Multiplex Bead Analysis of Vitreous Humor of Patients with Vitreoretinal Disorders
Banerjee et al.
IOVS 2007;48:2203-2207.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A chronic grey matter penumbra, lateral microvascular intussusception and venous peduncular avulsion underlie diabetic vitreous haemorrhage
McLeod
Br J Ophthalmol 2007;91:677-689.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Functional Characteristics of Connective Tissue Growth Factor on Vitreoretinal Cells
Kita et al.
Diabetes 2007;56:1421-1428.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT