Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin, an endothelium-specific adhesion protein, is found in the junctions between endothelial cells (ECs). It’s crucial to maintain the homogeneity of ECs. Keeping and controlling the contact between ECs is essential. In addition to its adhesive function, VE-cadherin plays important roles in vascular development, permeability, and tumour angiogenesis. Signal transfer, cytoskeletal reconstruction, and contractile integrating, which are crucial for constructing and maintaining monolayer integrity as well as for repair and regeneration, are the foundation of endothelial cell (EC) junctional dynamics. The molecular basis of adhesion junctions (AJs), which are closely related and work with actin filaments, is provided by the VE-cadherin-catenin complex. They can activate intracellular signals that drive ECs to react or communicate structural changes to junctions. An increasing number of molecules, including the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), have been connected to VE-cadherin in addition to the conventional VE-cadherin-catenin complex. This review demonstrates significant progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that affect VE-cadherin’s function in the regulation of EC behaviour during angiogenesis. The knowledge of the molecular processes that control VE-cadherin’s role in the regulation of EC behaviour during angiogenesis has recently advanced, as shown in this review.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited retinal disorders characterized by progressive loss of photoreceptors and eventually leads to retina degeneration and atrophy. Until now, the exact pathogenesis and etiology of this disease has not been clear, and many approaches for RP therapies have been carried out in animals and in clinical trials. In recent years, stem cell transplantation-based attempts made some progress, especially the transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). This review will provide an overview of stem cell-based treatment of RP and its main problems, to provide evidence for the safety and feasibility for further clinical treatment.

Ocular neovascular disease (OND), characterized by the aberrant formation of immature blood vessels, is the leading cause of vision impairment and blindness. It is important to find effective ways to diagnose and treat these diseases. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a group of endogenous non-coding RNA that play a crucial role in regulating different biological processes. Due to their close association with ocular disease and angiogenesis, circRNAs have become a hotspot in OND research. In this review, we intensively investigate the possibility of using circRNAs in the management of ONDs. In general, angiogenesis is divided into five phases. On the basis of these five steps, we describe the potential of using circRNAs by introducing how they regulate angiogenesis. Subsequently, the interactions between circRNAs and ONDs, including pterygium, corneal neovascularization, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinopathy of prematurity, are analyzed in detail. We also introduce the potential use of circRNAs as OND diagnostic biomarkers. Finally, we summarize the prospects of using circRNAs as a potential strategy in OND management. The gaps in recent research are also pointed out with the purpose of promoting the introduction of circRNAs into clinical applications.