PEPTIDE INHIBITORS OF PROLIFERATIVE VITREORETINOPATHY

SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES CONTAINING THE SEQUENCE ARG-GLY-ASP CAN BE USED TO PREVENT THE ADHESION OF CELLS TO MANY PROTEINS. PROLIFERATIVE VITREORETINOPATHY (PVR), A PRIMARY COMPLICATION IN RETINAL DETACHMENT, RESULTS FROM THE ATTACHMENT TO AND THE SUBSEQUENT PROLIFERATION OF CELLS ON THE INTERNAL LIMITING LAMINA (ILL) OF THE RETINA. CONTRACTION OF THE EPIRETINAL CELL ASSEMBLAGE OFTEN RESULTS IN RECURRENT RETINAL DETACHMENT. THE STIMULUS CAUSING THE STRAY CELLS TO ATTACH AND GROW OVER THE RETINA COULD BE DUE TO ADHESIVE PROTEIN SUCH AS FIBRINOGEN, FIBRONECTIN, AND/OR VITRONECTIN THAT IS EITHER NORMALLY PRESENT AS A COMPONENT OF THE ILL OR IS RELEASED INTO THE VITREOUS CAVITY FROM THE CIRCULATION. IN THIS PROJECT, THE FEASIBILITY OF USING VARIOUS ARG-GLY-ASP PEPTIDES AND PEPTIDE CONJUGATES TO PREVENT CELLSFROM ADHERING, OR TO DETACH CELLS ALREADY ADHERENT, TO INAPPROPRIATE INTRAOCULAR SURFACES WILL BE TESTED. SUCH PEPTIDES COULD PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE NONTOXIC TREATMENT FOR PVR AND OTHER OCULAR PROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS.