Research progress of TGF-β in the formation of epiretinal membrane

Epiretinal membrane(ERM)is a retinal disease characterized by a fibrocell membranes that can develop on the inner surface of the retina. The existing clinical guidelines and literature have reached a consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of ERM, but the explanation of their mechanism is still controversial. Transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)is a highly pleiotropic cytokine that plays an important role in wound healing, angiogenesis, immune regulation, cancer, inflammation and fibrosis diseases. Studies have increasingly shown that ERM is a kind of pathological changes in fibrosis that caused by the posterior vitreous detachment(PVD)and lead to the retinal inflammatory damage and epithelial to mesenchymal transition(EMT)of retinal pigment epithelial cells. A variety of cytokines regulate TGF-β-mediated EMT process by participating in the non-classical TGF-β-Snail pathway and the classical TGF-β-Smad pathway. At present, some drugs targeting cytokines related to the above pathway have entered the development stage, which is of great significance to provide new ideas for clinical treatment and prevention of ERM. This review reviews the progress of TGF-β related cytokines in ERM formation.