Quantification and comparison of VEGF-B in the vitreous of patients with diabetic ocular disease and a control group of patients with non-diabetic ocular disease

Abstract

 

Purpose

 

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a major role in pathological angiogenesis and in retinal diseases. Evidence shows that there are increased levels of VEGF-A in the retina and in the vitreous of patients with retinal diseases, particularly in diabetic patients. Although many studies have been focused in VEGF family, VEGF-B remains poorly studied and its function is the most controversial of the VEGF family. VEGF-B may act as a survival factor under certain conditions or may act as a growth inhibiting factor. However there is a gap to know how VEGF-B is expressed in human eyes and how it is altered in the presence of certain diseases such as diabetes. The aim of the present study was to quantify and compare the VEGF-B in the human vitreous of diabetic and non-diabetic patients with ocular disease.

 

Methods

 

33 samples of human vitreous collected at the beginning of the pars plana vitrectomy from 33 eyes were analyzed and quantified by ELISA assays. Results obtained of quantified VEGF-B (pg/L) were analyzed and compared between a group of diabetic patients with ocular disease (proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)/ epimacular membrane secondary to diabetic maculopathy (ERM)) and a control group of non-diabetic patients with ocular disease (rhegmatogenous retinal detachment). All patients included in this study, which adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, gave their informed consent to surgical treatment.

 

Results

 

The mean VEGF-B concentrations in vitreous were significantly higher in the diabetic patients group (18.82 pg/L ±1.44) vs control group of non-diabetic patients (17.90 pg/L ± 0.32) (p=0.006). No statistically significant difference in the mean vitreous concentrations of VEGF-B was found between the PDR and ERM group (p=0.449).

 

Conclusions

 

The results of the quantification of VEGF-B in vitreous by the used method showed a statistical significant increase in diabetic ocular diseases when compared to non-diabetic ocular diseases. This study shows that VEGF-B may be overexpressed in vitreous of diabetic patients.

 

 

Keywords: 688 retina • 748 vascular endothelial growth factor • 498 diabetes