Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: Fas ligand (FasL), a member of the tumor necrosis factor family, induces apoptosis in Fas-bearing cells. Its soluble form, sFasL, is found to increase in many diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a change of sFasL in the human plasma with aging and appearance of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Methods: Blood samples were collected from 139 non-ARMD and 15 ARMD subjects ranging in age from 44 to 85. Patients carrying the diagnosis of ARMD had a minimal of 5 drusen in at least one eye; with some vision loss related the disease. Plasma soluble FasL was determined by sandwich sFasL kit. Results: A variable level of sFasL was detected in human plasma. The concentration of sFasL in the plasma was increased with aging. The plasma sFasL level was significant higher in age ≷ 60 group than age < 60 group. However, no difference in the plasma sFasL was seen between female and male subjects. The sFasL in the plasma from ARMD was 2 times higher than in age-matched non-ARMD controls, but was not statistically significant with the small number of ARMD subjects (p = 0.108). Conclusions: sFasL increases in relation to the age and possibly with ARMD. These results suggest that sFasL may play a role in the pathogenesis of ARMD. CR: None. Support: NIH grants EY07892, EY06360, ES09047, RPB, NRSA, FFB, and AFAR.
Keywords: 308 age-related macular degeneration • 309 aging • 341 cell death/apoptosis