Abstract
Purpose :
Accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), the products of the non-enzymatic reaction between reducing sugars and other macromolecules such as proteins, lipids, or nucleic acids, can be involved in aging. Other than the high intraocular pressure (IOP), aging is a pivotal risk factor of glaucoma development and progression, although the underlying mechanisms are elusive. AGEs Sensor (SHARP Life Science Corp., Tenri, Japan) is a novel device that enables non-invasive assessment of skin AGEs accumulation in humans. Using this device, we measured AGEs levels in Japanese patients with open angle glaucoma to assess the possible involvement of AGSs in glaucoma pathogenesis.
Methods :
We included 576 subjects [age of 72±12 years (mean±SD); 254 male and 322 females] with 316 primary open angle glaucoma (PG), 127 exfoliation syndrome/glaucoma (EG), and 133 non-glaucomatous controls. Levels of AGEs were estimated by middle fingertip skin autofluorescence value with the excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 nm and 440 nm, respectively; mean of three measurements was considered as an AGEs value in each subject. Age, sex, presence/absence of systemic hypertension, diabetes, and lens status, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), IOP, and number of glaucoma medication use were recorded. If both eyes were eligible, eye with better visual acuity in a subject was enrolled in the control group, and eye with more advanced glaucoma in a subject was enrolled in the glaucoma groups.
Results :
The coefficient of variation and intraclass correlation coefficient (Cronbach’s α) of 3-repeated AGEs measurements were 6.7±7.3% and 0.938, respectively. AGEs values (arbitrary unit) were 0.56±0.15, 0.56±0.11, and 0.61±0.11 in control, PG, and EG groups, respectively (p<0.0001, ANOVA); the values were significantly higher in EG than control (p=0.0007, t test) and PG (p<0.0001, t-test) groups. After the adjustment of various demographic parameters by multiple regression analyses, deposition of exfoliation material irrespective of glaucoma was associated with high AGEs value.
Conclusions :
Deposition of exfoliation material rather than the presence of glaucoma was associated with the high skin autofluorescence value, suggesting the overlap in wavelengths of AGEs detected by the device. Agreement among repeatedly measured skin autofluorescence by the device was excellent.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.