Figure 6. Intravitreal VEGF-A₁₆₅b prevents diabetes-induced increase in solute flux.

(A) Sprague–Dawley rats were induced with diabetes using STZ (50 mg/kg). After 6 days, 5 μl of saline was injected into one eye of each diabetic rat, and 5 μl of 10 ng/μl rhVEGF-A₁₆₅b injected into the contralateral eye (n=5). Control rats had no injection in one eye, and 5 μl of saline in the contralateral eye (n=5). (B) On day 7, Evans Blue (EB, 45 mg/kg) was injected into anaesthetized rats (i.v.). Plasma was collected every 15 min for 2 h, after which, animals were killed and retinae excised. (C) Evans Blue solute flux was calculated from total EB absorbance after 2 h and (D). Permeability surface area product (PA) was calculated using solute flux as a measure of plasma EB absorbance. The increase in solute flux (D) and permeability (E) after 1 week and 8 weeks in STZ + vehicle-treated retinae compared with their respective controls was compared that with VEGF-A₁₆₅b treatment; B and C=one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc test, E=two-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-hoc test, *p<0.05, **p<0.01.