Abstract
Purpose: :
To analyze the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and pigment epithelium-derived factor(PEDF) in the aqueous humor, vitreous humor and plasma of patients with diabetic retinopathy(DR).
Methods: :
70 eyes of 66 patients with DR and 42 eyes of 40 patients with nondiabetic ocular disease as control subjects were analyzed. DR patients were divided into 3 groups including nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR group, n=21), posterior proliferative diabetic retinopathy(post. PDR group, n=38), and anterior proliferative proliferative diabetic retinopathy(ant. PDR group, n=11). Concentrations of VEGF and PEDF in the aqeous humor, vitreous humor and plasma were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).
Results: :
The aqeous level of VEGF was significantly higher in ant. PDR group(P<0.05). The vitreous level of VEDF was significantly higher in post. PDR group(P<0.05). The plama level of VEGF was higher in NPDR group(P<0.05). The PEDF concentration didn’t show significant difference between groups in all 3 specimens (aqeous humor, vitreous humor, and plasma) statistically.
Conclusions: :
The VEGF concentration was higher in the region of ocular tissue where it showed active neovascularization. In diabetic retinopathy, the VEGF concentration was significantly correlated with the neovascularization. But the PEDF concentration didn’t show significant correlation with the neovascularization.
Keywords: diabetic retinopathy • growth factors/growth factor receptors