| Purpose: To evaluate the effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on laser-induced experimental choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in rat model in vivo and endothelial cell proliferation in vitro.
Methods: Male Brown Norway rats were anesthetized to receive Nd:YAG laser to break the Bruch’s membrane. TMP was given once-daily through intraperitoneal injection after laser treatment for 4 weeks. The development of CNV was determined by angiography performed on week two and week four using sodium fluorescein (FA) or fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FD70-FA). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were tested with proliferation assay with TMP at different concentrations.
Results: According to the angiograms of FA, intensity of fluorescein leakage from the photocoagulated lesions decreased significantly following TMP treatment, compared with the control. Four weeks after administration, TMP, at 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/Kg, inhibited CNV development to 79% (p<0.01) and 84% (p<0.05) of the control group, respectively. The angiograms of FD70-FA showed diminished lesion size in TMP treated group. Four weeks post laser, the size of the CNV lesion was 2.07±0.82 mm2 in control group, 1.85±0.63 mm2 in TMP 20mg /kg group, and 1.69±0.77 mm2 (p<0.05) in TMP 40 mg/kg group, respectively. TMP also interfered with the endothelial cells proliferation significantly. The reduction of the endothelial cells were 53.7% (p<0.05), 35.8% (p<0.05), and 22.9% (p<0.01) respectively in 300 g/ml, 100 g/ml and 30 g/ml of TMP treated group.
Conclusions: TMP inhibited the development of CNV in the rat model and interfere with vascular endothelial cell proliferation in vitro. TMP may be useful in the treatment of CNV.
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