Influences of placental growth factor on mouse retinal vascular development

Background : Placental growth factor (PGF) is important for wound‐healing and vascular collaterogenesis. PGF deficiency is associated with preeclampsia, a hypertensive disease of human pregnancy. Offspring born to preeclamptic mothers display cognitive impairments and brain vascular and neurostructural deviations. Low PGF production during development may contribute to alterations in offspring cerebrovascular beds. Retina is a readily accessible part of the central nervous system with a well‐described pattern of vascular development in mice. Impacts of PGF deficiency were addressed during mouse retinal vascularization. Results: Retinal vessels were compared between Pgf ‐/‐ and congenic C57BL/6 (B6) mice. PGF deficiency altered neonatal retinal vascularization patterns. Some anatomic alterations persisted into adulthood, particularly in males. Greater arterial wall collagen IV expression was found in adult Pgf ‐/‐ females. Pregnancy (studied in adult females at gestational days 11.5 or 18.5) induced subtle changes upon the mother's retinal vasculature but these pregnancy‐induced changes did not differ between genotypes. Significant sex‐related differences occurred between adult male and female B6 although sexually dimorphic retinal vascular differences were absent in B6 neonates. Conclusions: Overall, PGF has a role in retinal vascular angiogenesis and vessel organization during development but does not affect retinal vessel adaptations in adult females during pregnancy. Developmental Dynamics 246:700–712, 2017 . © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.