Diminished corneal angiogenesis in gelatinase A-deficient mice.

The goal of the present study was to define the role of gelatinase A in angiogenesis. We performed corneal micropocket assays in gelatinase A-deficient mice and their age-matched wild-type littermates. The corneal neovascular area in gelatinase A-deficient mice (0.15+/-0.14 mm(2)) was significantly less than that of wild-type littermates (0.53+/-0.35 mm(2); P<0.01). Similarly, aortic ring assays showed significant reduction of endothelial outgrowth in gelatinase A-deficient mice (0.26+/-0.14 mm(2)) as compared to wild-type littermates (0.44+/-0.06 mm(2); P<0.05). These results suggest that gelatinase A may play an important role in the regulation of corneal angiogenesis.