2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
2 Fundamentals and Principles of Ophthalmology
Part IV: Biochemistry and Metabolism
Chapter 13: Retinal Pigment Epithelium
Major Physiologic Roles of the RPE
Secretion
A number of growth factors, cytokines, and immune modulators are secreted by the RPE and are essential for maintaining the physiologic function of the photoreceptors and the choriocapillaris. Examples include PEDF (pigment epithelium–derived factor) and CNTF (ciliary neurotrophic factor), which prevent photoreceptor cell death; VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), which maintains choroidal vascular endothelium; and TIMP (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases), which maintains the extracellular matrix.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 2 - Fundamentals and Principles of Ophthalmology. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.