Periostin in Eye Diseases

The transparency of the eye can be disturbed by several eye diseases. It has recently been reported that periostin plays pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of several eye disease, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, pterygia, corneal dystrophy, and chronic ocular allergic diseases. In these diseases, formation of fibro (vascular) tissue plays an important role. Gene expression profiling of human retinal fibro (vascular) membrane revealed significant up-regulation of periostin. The expression of periostin after environmental perturbations, including IL-4 and/or IL-13 induction, can alter normal physiological interactions among fibroblasts, macrophages and ECM protein in the eye. Modulating the expression of periostin by low-molecular weight compounds, antibodies or RNAi directed against the molecule could be a novel therapeutic strategy for inhibiting the progression of those periostin-involved eye diseases.