ICAM-1 depletion does not alter retinal vascular development in a model of oxygen-mediated neovascularization

ICAM-1 has been identified as a mediator of inflammatory and VEGF-dependent corneal neovascularization. Furthermore, ICAM-1 has been demonstrated to be involved in leukocyte-mediated endothelial injury in diabetic retinopathy. Here we investigated the role of ICAM-1 in retinal vaso-obliteration and vascularization. ICAM-1 deficient mice as well as their respective wild-type controls were exposed to 75% oxygen from postnatal day 7 to day 12. Retinal vascularization was investigated after lectin labeling of endothelial cells on day 14, 17, and 20 in flat mount preparations. Retinal mRNA expression of VEGF, Angiopoietin 1 and 2 as well as PDGFβ was examined at day 14 and 20 by Real Time RT-PCR. ICAM-1−/− mice and their respective wild-type controls demonstrated similar retinal development and vascularization under normoxic conditions. Similarly, after oxygen challenge, the vascular area, the avascularized area as well as the area of neovascular tufts did not differ between ICAM-1−/− and the respective wild-type mice although the mRNA expression of VEGF, ang-1, ang-2, and PDGFβ differed clearly. This study demonstrates that lack of ICAM-1 leads to an altered expression of angiogenic factors that in combination may neutralize each other and do not alter retinal development and angiogenesis in oxygen-induced retinopathy.