Abstract
Purpose: :
To validate a previously customized design PCR-Array for the expression analysis of genes related with the success and failure of glaucoma filtering surgery.
Methods: :
A total of 21 eyes from 21 patients (12 women and 9 men of 67.16 ± 5.94 years) with uncontrolled primary open glaucoma (POAG), treated with filtering surgery were enrolled in the study. Surgery was performed at least one year before the recruitment of patients. Surgical failure was defined as an IOP higher than 21 mmHg. Conjunctival epithelium samples were obtained from impression cytology after surgery; total RNA was subsequently extracted and transcribed to cDNA for gene expression analysis. RT-PCR Arrays including 18 genes related with the prognosis of the surgery were used for analysis of gene expression profiles in patients with failure of glaucoma surgery in comparison with those with successful surgery. Correlation between gene expression pattern and the surgical success/failure was explored with the principal component analysis. Level of significance was P < 0.05.
Results: :
Eleven patients showed successful filtering surgery (mean IOP 13.83 ± 3.71 mmHg), and ten patients showed surgical failure (mean IOP 23 ± 2.82 mmHg) both with mean follow-up of 18 months. Conjunctival epithelium gene expression analyses by using a customized design PCR-Array clearly discriminated the surgical success group from failure group. The VEGFA was found to be the gene correlated with surgical failure while genes COL3A1, CREBBP, F2, FLT1, IFNB1, IL1A, IL6, IL18, MMP1-2, MYC, NGF, PLAU, PLG, TFF1, TGFA, and TGFB3 were highly correlated with success of glaucoma filtering surgery.
Conclusions: :
Conjunctival epithelium gene expression analysis with a predesigned PCR-Array is a suitable tool to use in the prognosis of success or failure of glaucoma filtration surgery.
Keywords: wound healing • gene/expression • conjunctiva