Prevention and treatment of retinal ischemia and edema

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods of treating retinopathy, retinal ischemia and/or retinal edema comprising administering an integrin or integrin subunit antagonist, leukocyte adhesion-inducing cytokine antagonist or growth factor antagonist, a selectin antagonist or adhesion molecule antagonist.

1 . A method for reducing or preventing retinal injury in a mammal, comprising administering to the mammal a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist, wherein said VEGF antagonist inhibits leukocyte interaction, thereby reducing or preventing retinal injury. 
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antagonist is an antibody or antibody fragment specific for VEGF. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the antagonist is an antisense molecule that hybridizes to the nucleic acid sequence that encodes VEGF, or a peptide mimetic molecule, ribozyme, an aptamer or small molecule antagonist that inhibits VEGF. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the VEGF antagonist is administered in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a decrease of at least one condition selected from the group consisting of retinal edema and retinal ischemia occurs. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein said decrease is between about 10% and about 90%. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mammal is a human and wherein said human has diabetic retinopathy. 
   
   
       8 . A method for treating an individual having diabetic retinopathy comprising administering to said individual a VEGF antagonist, wherein leukocyte interaction is reduced or inhibited. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein at least one additional antagonist that inhibits the binding of a leukocyte to an endothelial cell or to another leukocyte is administered to said individual. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the additional antagonist is at least one antagonist selected from the group consisting of: an integrin antagonist, selectin antagonist, leukocyte adhesion-inducing cytokine antagonist or another growth factor antagonist and an adhesion molecule antagonist. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the integrin is selected from a group consisting of: LFA-1, Mac-1 and p150,95. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the integrin antagonist comprises an integrin subunit antagonist. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the integrin subunit antagonist comprises a CD18 antagonist, CD11a antagonist or CD11b antagonist. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the selectin is selected from a group consisting of: P-selectin, E-selectin and L-selectin. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the leukocyte adhesion-inducing cytokine antagonist or growth factor antagonist is selected from a group consisting of: TNF-1α, IL-1β, MCP-1 and another VEGF antagonist. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the adhesion molecule antagonist is selected from the group consisting of: a PCAM antagonist, a VCAM antagonist, an ICAM-1 antagonist, an ICAM-2 antagonist and an ICAM-3 antagonist. 
   
   
       17 . A method for treating an individual with at least one condition selected from the group consisting of retinal edema and retinal ischemia comprising administering to the individual a VEGF antagonist, wherein a decrease in retinal edema, retinal ischemia or retinal edema and retinal ischemia occurs. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said decrease is between about 10% and about 90%.