Figure 6. Both vascular endothelial growth factor-B167 and 186 increased retinal neovascularization in oxygen induced ischemic retinopathy. At postnatal day 7 (P7), pups received an intravitreal injection of AAV-VEGF-B167, AAV-VEGF-B186, or AAV-GFP vectors, then were placed in a 75% oxygen box for 5 days and returned to room air at P12 for another 5 days. At P17, mice were sacrificed, retinal-whole mounts prepared, and retinal neovascularization quantified as described in Methods. Images from A to C are representative retina whole mounts from mice that received AAV-GFP (A), AAV-VEGF-B167 (B), or AAV-VEGF-B186 (C). Original magnification was ×5. All images were taken under the same conditions for optimal comparison. D: Statistical analysis indicated that both isoforms of VEGF-B significantly increased the retinal neovascularization area compared with the GFP control group. The graph shows that AAV-VEGF-B167 and 186 promote increased retinal neovascularization in the oxygen induced ischemic retinopathy model. Data are expressed as mean±SEM.