Unbalanced vitreous levels of pigment epithelium-derived factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in diabetic retinopathy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the levels of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the vitreous of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR).


METHODS
Experimental study of PEDF and VEGF levels in vitreous samples collected during vitrectomy.


METHODS
The levels of PEDF and VEGF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the vitreous of 46 eyes of 43 patients who underwent vitrectomy with diabetic retinopathy (DR) (32 eyes of 29 patients) and an idiopathic macular hole (MH) (14 eyes of 14 patients).


RESULTS
The vitreal concentration of PEDF was significantly lower at 1.11 +/- 0.14 microg/ml (mean +/- standard error) in eyes with DR than in eyes with MH at 1.71 +/- 0.22 microg/ml (P =.021). The VEGF level was 1799 +/- 478 pg/ml in eyes with DR and not detectable in MH. The PEDF level in proliferative DR (PDR) (0.94 +/- 0.12 microg/ml) was lower than that in nonproliferative DR (NPDR) (2.25 +/- 0.32 microg/ml), and that in active DR (0.85 +/- 0.14 microg/ml) was significantly lower than that in inactive DR (1.59 +/- 0.24 microg/ml; P =.01). The VEGF level was 2025 +/- 533 pg/ml in PDR and 215 +/- 201 pg/ml in NPDR and that in active DR (2543 +/- 673 pg/ml) was significantly higher than that in inactive DR (395 +/- 188 pg/ml; P =.0098).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that lower levels of PEDF and higher levels of VEGF may be related to the angiogenesis in DR that leads to active PDR.
Department of Ophthalmology, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan. ogata@takii.kmu.ac.jp
Nahoko
N
Ogata
Maki
M
Nishikawa
Tetsuya
T
Nishimura
Yumiko
Y
Mitsuma
Miyo
M
Matsumura
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D015843:Serpins / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; D014821:Vitrectomy; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism*; D014823:Vitreous Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D000099174:Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor
D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D005136:Eye Proteins; D008222:Lymphokines; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011506:Proteins; D015843:Serpins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; D000099174:Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor