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. 2021 Dec 9;9:796143. doi: 10.3389/fped.2021.796143

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Schematic representation of similarities between human retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) models. Human ROP is described by a two-phase hypothesis (row 1). In Phase I, events surrounding preterm birth (i.e., lack of maternally derived factors, relative hyperoxia, repeated oxygen fluctuations, poor infant growth, etc.) cause a delay in physiologic retinal vascular development (PRVD) and compromise to already developed vessels (compromised physiologic vascularity). In Phase II, the hypoxic avascular retina releases pro-angiogenic factors that promote aberrant retinal angiogenesis into the vitreous termed intravitreal neovascularization (IVNV). The murine OIR model (row 2) recapitulates Phase I compromised physiologic vascularity and has been termed vaso-obliteration at p12, and Phase II IVNV at p17. The rat OIR model (row 3) recapitulates Phase I delay in PRVD to the peripheral retina and compromised physiologic vascularity at p14, and Phase II IVNV and vessel tortuosity and dilation at p18-20. Created with Biorender.com.