Thalidomide, when administered orally, is an inhibitor of angiogenesis in the basic fibroblast
growth factor (bFGF)-induced rabbit cornea micropocket assay. We now show in the mouse
that thalidomide given intraperitoneally but not orally significantly inhibits bFGF-induced and
vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced corneal neovascularization. We further
demonstrate that this inhibition is independent from thalidomide's ability to suppress tumor
necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production. Experiments examining thalidomide's …