PURPOSE Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a protein produced by the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Recent studies have implicated PEDF in activities that are inhibitory to angiogenesis. In this study, the expression of PEDF was investigated in normal rat eyes and in eyes with experimentally induced choroidal neovascularization and compared with the expression of vascular endo...

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a multifunctional protein that exhibits anti-angiogenic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-atherogenic, and cardioprotective properties. While it was recently shown that PEDF expression is inhibited under low oxygen conditions, the functional role of PEDF in response to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) remains unclear. The goal of this stud...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of oxygen fluctuations on pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/PEDF ratios in a relevant rat model of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). METHODS The expression of retinal PEDF mRNA and of VEGF and PEDF protein were determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays at di...

Angiogenesis is under the exquisite control of a network of angiogenic factors and anti-angiogenic factors. PEDF (pigment epithelial derived factor) is one of the known anti-angiogenesis factors and is naturally occurring in the body. There has been studies to show that the factor plays an important role in negating the angiogenic process in pathological conditions in the eye. However, little i...

BACKGROUND Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a glycoprotein with potent neuronal differentiating activity. We, along with others, have recently found that PEDF inhibits retinal hyperpermeability by counteracting the biological effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). However, the protective role of PEDF against nephrotic syndrome (NS), a condition of hyperpermeability in ...

OBJECTIVE Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) plays an important role in obesity-induced insulin resistance (IR). The study aims to investigate the effect of metformin, a widely used agent to improve IR, on PEDF production both in vivo and in vitro. METHODS SD rats were divided into normal control group, high fat group (HF group), and metformin group (MET group). Hyperinsulinemic euglyce...

Angiogenesis is a prerequisite for the formation and development of endometriosis. Pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) is a natural inhibitor of angiogenesis. We previously demonstrated a reduction of PEDF in the peritoneal fluid, serum and endometriotic lesions from women with endometriosis compared with women without endometriosis. Here, we aim to investigate the inhibitory effect of PED...

The pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) belongs to the superfamily of serine protease inhibitors (serpin). There have been 2 distinct functions attributed to this factor, which can act either as a neurotrophic or as an antiangiogenic factor. Besides its localization in the eye, PEDF was recently reported to be present also in human plasma. We found that PEDF purified from plasma is a phosp...

Aims: To determine whether pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF), a protein that inhibits angiogenesis, is expressed in human choroidal neovascular membranes (CNVMs) and in tissues from an eye with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). In addition, to compare the expression of PEDF with that of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a known stimulator of angiogenesis, in these tissues...

PURPOSE To investigate the protective effect of intravitreal injection of pigment epithelium-derived factor-impregnated nanoparticles (PEDF-NPs) against photoreceptor degeneration in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats. METHODS Three-week-old RCS rats received an intravitreal injection of PBS, blank NPs, PEDF (2.5 μg), or PEDF-NPs (2.5 μg). Eyes were assessed with morphological, immunohistoc...