system
Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Angiopoietin-1, Animals, Blood-Retinal Barrier, Blotting, Western, Female, Ganglionectomy, Gene Expression Regulation, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, RNA, Messenger, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Receptor, TIE-2, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Superior Cervical Ganglion, Time Factors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2.
user
Does superior cervical ganglionectomy induce changes in growth factor expression in the rat retina? Context: To determine whether sympathetic nerves regulate expression of known angiogenic growth factors. Surgical sympathectomy (SNX) was used to remove sympathetic innervation to the eye. Real-time PCR was used to measure steady state mRNA expression of VEGF, VEGFR-2, angiopoietin-1, and Tie2. Western blot analysis was performed to assess protein expression. Blood-retinal barrier (BRB) permeability surface area product (PS) was measured using enhanced MRI on a separate group of control and SNX rats. mRNA of both VEGF and VEGFR-2 decreased significantly at 6 weeks after SNX. VEGF protein expression also decreased significantly. VEGFR-2 protein was unchanged. Both angiopoietin-1 and Tie2 mRNA expression increased significantly after SNX. Immunoblot analysis showed that angiopoietin-1 protein expression coincided with its mRNA expression. Tie2 protein expression was unaffected. Sympathetic denervation did not significantly increase BRB PS.
assistant
Surgical SNX results in a reduction in VEGF gene and protein expression, while increasing protein expression of Ang-1. These findings suggest that sympathetic nerves regulate the expression of angiogenic growth factors in rat retina. Final Decision: yes