Dual‐Target ROS‐Driven Spatiotemporal Senolysis for Vascular Repair and Immune Microenvironment Reprogramming in the Treatment of Ocular Fundus Neovascularization

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Authors: Yali Zhou, T Chen, Peiyu Liu, Kangjia Lv, Yifan Wang, Xiaoqian Wang, Junwei Fang, Chong Chen, Zhaoyang Wang, Fang Wei, Xun Xu
Cited by: 3
References: 33

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ocular fundus neovascularization (OFN) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss. Conventional antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti‐VEGF) therapies indiscriminately suppress pathological and reparative angiogenesis and fail to correct the senescence‐ and inflammation‐driven microenvironment that sustains disease progression. Senescent endothelial cells (ECs) form the structural scaffold of pathological vessels, while neighboring senescent microglia exacerbate inflammatory signaling, together deteriorating the reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐rich vascular‐immune microenvironment. Here, we develop an injectable ROS‐responsive senolytic hydrogel (PCC1/PHCF‐Gel) that enables lesion‐activated, sustained intraocular release of procyanidin C1 (PCC1), overcoming rapid clearance, oxidative degradation, and poor lesion retention associated with free PCC1. In oxygen‐induced retinopathy and choroidal neovascularization models, PCC1/PHCF‐Gel markedly reduces retinal senescence, suppresses pathological neovascularization, and restores neuroretinal function, outperforming symptom‐directed therapies anti‐VEGF therapy. Single‐cell RNA sequencing reveals selective elimination of two pathogenic senescent cell subpopulations—CXCR4 + ECs and IFITM3 + microglia—thereby disrupting the reinforcing cycle of vascular and immune senescence and promoting reparative vascular regeneration. These findings establish a multifunctional, spatiotemporally controlled therapeutic paradigm and highlight PCC1/PHCF‐Gel as a promising translational strategy for the precision treatment of OFN.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Retinal Diseases and Treatments Retinal Development and Disorders Retinopathy of Prematurity Studies

Publication details

Journal / source
Advanced Science
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
13
Issue
16
Pages
e23495–e23495
Publication date
16 February 2026
Language
EN