Retinopathy of prematurity is a noticeable retinal abnormality causing common blindness in children. An uncontrolled retinal vasculature in retinopathy of prematurity inflicts vision loss in numerous children despite the accessibility to a wide range of clinical treatments prescribed for retinopathy of prematurity. Apelin/APJ [class A (rhodopsin-like) G-protein-coupled receptor] signaling regulates retinopathy of prematurity augmented with uncontrolled angiogenesis. Antagonists targeting pathological apelin/APJ-signaling-induced angiogenesis could be effective in attenuating retinopathy of prematurity. The therapeutic proficiency of antagonists in diverse modalities: peptides, bioactive molecules and antibodies, targeting apelin peptides or the APJ receptor is discussed in this review. We hypothesize the antagonists could effectively attenuate the retinal vasculature triggered by apelin/APJ signaling activation governing vision impairment in young children.
Keywords: Antagonist; Apelin/APJ signaling; Retinal vasculature; Retinopathy of prematurity.
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