Systemic Oxidant and Genotoxic Background in Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the evidence of systemic oxidative stress and genotoxicity (DNA damage) in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Material -Method: The study comprised 26 patients with exudative AMD (68.9±1.9 years of age) and 26 age- and sex-matched (64.8±2.2 years of age) healthy controls (p=0.268, p=0.258, respectively). Serum total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) were measured with a commercial kit. Oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. DNA damage was evaluated using comet analysis following lymphocyte isolation from venous blood. Parameters including tail length (TL) and tail moment (TM) were evaluated for quantitative analysis of DNA damage. Results: The AMD group had lower TAS and higher OSI values than in the control group, while TOS values did not differ between the two groups (p=0.006, p=0.039, p=0.319, respectively). Furthermore, TL (p<0.0001) and TM (p=0.005) were significantly higher in the AMD group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Systemic oxidative stress index and cumulative DNA damage appear to be increased in patients with exudative AMD.