Abstract
PurposeTo identify disease-specific cytokine profile differences in the aqueous humor (AH) (other than the vascular endothelial growth factor) between patients with dry and treated wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and healthy controls.MethodsThis retrospective study drew on a case-series of patients diagnosed with dry AMD (n = 25) and treated wet AMD (n = 19), as well as on healthy controls (no systemic therapy; n = 20) undergoing phacoemulsification or vitrectomy. Samples of AH and serum were collected in parallel at the beginning of surgery. The levels of 43 cytokines were simultaneously determined using the Bio-Plex® multiplex beads system. Differences between the three groups were statistically compared using the Kruskal-Wallis H-Test after applying the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (p<0.0012).ResultsThe concentrations of three cytokines were elevated in the AH of patients with dry AMD (CXCL6; p = 0.00067) and treated wet AMD (CXCL5, CXCL6, MIG/XCXL; all p<0.001) relative to those in the healthy controls. No other differences between the three groups were identified. The AH levels of seven cytokines (16%), including CXCL6, ranged below the lower limit of quantitation of the assay. Without the correction for multiple comparisons (p<0.05), the levels of 31 of the 43 cytokines in the AH of patients with AMD would have differed significantly from those in the control. The systemic cytokine profiles (serum) were similar in all three groups.ConclusionsNo systematic differences in the AH cytokine environment were identified between patients with dry AMD and those with treated wet AMD. This finding might indicate that AMD is either the result of a persistent imbalance in the physiological tissue milieu, or that the localized process induces no significant change in the cytokine environment of the anterior ocular segment.
Highlights
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), advanced stages of the disease, such as choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and geographic atrophy (GA), is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in elderly individuals [1, 2, 3].In clinical terms, the distinction between “wet” and “dry” forms of the disease is based upon the manifestation of either CNV or atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the choriocapillaris and the overlying photoreceptors, respectively [4, 5]
The concentrations of three cytokines were elevated in the aqueous humor (AH) of patients with dry AMD (CXCL6; p = 0.00067) and treated wet AMD (CXCL5, CXCL6, MIG/XCXL; all p
No systematic differences in the AH cytokine environment were identified between patients with dry AMD and those with treated wet AMD
Summary
The distinction between “wet” and “dry” forms of the disease is based upon the manifestation of either CNV or atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the choriocapillaris and the overlying photoreceptors, respectively [4, 5]. Despite its convenience, this dichotomization does not reflect the continuum of the underlying progressive pathology of the macula with advanced age. The molecular mechanisms that underline the development and progression of CNV, the hallmark of wet AMD, are better understood than those that are involved in the evolution of the dry form of the disease [23, 24]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call