Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) is one of the enigmatic members of the VEGF family. The knowledge gap about VEGF-B expression and how its levels are altered in diabetic eyes were the focus of this investigation that was addressed by comparing and correlating vitreous VEGF-B between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. VEGF-B levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in vitreous samples (n = 33) from diabetic (n = 25) and non-diabetic (n = 8) patients. Results were compared between groups. Optical coherence tomography from diabetic patients was evaluated for central retinal thickness (CRT) and macular volume (MV). Mean vitreous VEGF-B concentration was higher in diabetic (18.82 ± 1.44 pg/mL) vs. non-diabetic patients (17.90 ± 0.32 pg/mL) (p = 0.006), and in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (19.03 ± 1.52 pg/mL) vs. non-PDR (NPDR) patients (18.18 ±0.96 pg/mL) (p = 0.025). In diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients, correlation between VEGF-B and CRT (μm) was positive and moderate: rs = 0.441 (p ≤ 0.05) and the correlation between VEGF-B and MV (mm3) was positive and robust: rs = 0.716 (p ≤ 0.01). VEGF-B levels are overexpressed in vitreous of diabetic patients, and the levels are higher in developed stages of DR. Correlation results show that CRT and MV increase with increased levels of VEGF-B. Targeting VEGF-B inhibition may have therapeutic beneficial implications.
Highlights
Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is the most studied member of the VEGF family and is an important regulator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability in physiological and pathological conditions
To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports on the measurement of the Vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) levels in vitreous humor of patients with ocular disease, making it difficult to use it as a reference value
None of the diabetic patients included in the study had been previously treated with aflibercept
Summary
Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is the most studied member of the VEGF family and is an important regulator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability in physiological and pathological conditions. It induces proliferation and migration of endothelial cells and vascular permeability, resulting in angiogenesis in vivo [1]. Aiello [2] demonstrated that the levels of VEGF-A levels are increased in ocular fluids in patients with active retinal neovascularization associated with several ocular diseases in diabetic patients. Sci. 2017, 5, 17 conditions [3,4,5] VEGF-A is considered an important therapeutic target and a focus of considerable ophthalmologic research
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