Abstract
Purpose :
In addition to investigating total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and ascorbic acid (AA) levels in the aqueous humor of diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients, we also aimed to evaluate the correlation between aqueous humor antioxidant levels and serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.
Methods :
This case-control study enrolled 204 eyes which underwent cataract surgery between April 2019 and June 2020 in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Group 1 comprised 139 eyes of non-diabetic patients; group 2 comprised 45 eyes of diabetic patients without DR; group 3 comprised 20 eyes of patients with DR. Aqueous humor samples were collected and analyzed for TAC and AA levels using the ferric reducing/antioxidant AA (FRASC) assay.
Results :
Aqueous humor TAC and AA levels were decreased in group 1 as compared to group 2 (p = 0.004 and p = 0.006) and group 3 (p = 0.002 and p = 0.004). Aqueous humor TAC and AA levels were independent protective factors against developing DR with adjusted odds ratios of 0.179 (95% CI: 0.064-0.497, p = 0.001) and 0.139 (95% CI: 0.040-0.477, p = 0.002). Aqueous humor TAC and AA concentrations were not correlated with serum HbA1c levels, with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients of -0.240 (p = 0.077) and -0.224 (p = 0.101), respectively.
Conclusions :
TAC and AA had the protective effect against the progression of DR. Decreased aqueous humor TAC and AA levels could serve as early detection biomarkers for DR development among the diabetic population. These results also suggested the potential of AA supplementation as prophylaxis and treatment of DR.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.