Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate serum S100A8/A9 (MRP-8/14 or calprotectin), Lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), zonulin, and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) levels and their associations with disease activity in patients with uveitis.
Methods :
Twenty five recent onset treatment naïve posterior segment uveitis patients with active disease and 14 age, gender and race matched healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. S100A8/A9, LBP, zonulin and I-FABP levels were evaluated in serum by using sandwich ELISA technique.
Results :
Mean serum S100A8/A9 levels were significantly higher in patients with white dot syndromes (WDS) (4874 ± 1208 ng/ml) compared to healthy volunteers (3053 ± 1072 ng/ml) (p=0.0176) and other types of posterior segment uveitides (2931 ± 953 ng/ml) (p=0.0084). I-FABP was undetectable in the serum of all individuals. No significant difference was found in the levels of LBP and zonulin in each group compared to healthy volunteers (p>0.05). In 9 active WDS patients who were followed longitudinally, follow-up S100A8/A9 and LBP levels at quiet stage of the disease were significantly lower: Mean S100A8/A9 level was 3989 ± 1231 ng/ml at active stage and 3157 ± 639 ng/ml at quiet stage (p=0.0451). Mean LBP level was 16973 ± 8431 ng/ml at active stage and 12926 ± 6105 ng/ml at quiet stage (p=0.0039). No significant change was observed in zonulin levels.
Conclusions :
S100A8/A9, an indicator of neutrophil activity, appears elevated in patients with white dot syndromes. Both S100A8/A9 and LBP, an acute-phase protein that binds to bacterial LPS, shows correlation to disease activity. The relationship between these proteins and disease activity in patients with WDS raises the suspicion for potential role of infectious agents in the pathogenesis. Further studies are needed to validate the value of serum S100A8/A9 and LBP as potential biomarkers of disease activity.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.