title: Lysosomal acid hydrolases in vitreous fluid of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
abstract: Using a new method to collect vitreous fluid safely during vitrectomy, vitreous specimens were obtained from 18 eyes of diabetic patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and from 14 eyes of nondiabetic patients. The activities of four lysosomal acid hydrolases in these samples were measured and compared with those in serum. Of these enzymes, only N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG), a suspected retinal angiogenic factor, showed higher activity in the vitreous than in the serum in both diabetic (P less than 0.005) and nondiabetic eyes (P less than 0.05). However, no significant difference was found in any enzyme activity between diabetic and nondiabetic samples. These results suggested that this enzyme apparently does not have a significant effect, at least on the pathologic condition, during the late stage of PDR, and that NAG is usually present at higher activity in the vitreous than in the serum of diabetic as well as nondiabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamai
mesh_terms: D000118:Acetylglucosaminidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000201:enzymology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013048:Specimen Handling; D014821:Vitrectomy; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000201:enzymology*; D005644:alpha-L-Fucosidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000135:Acid Phosphatase; D005644:alpha-L-Fucosidase; D000118:Acetylglucosaminidase