High-mobility group box 1 protein in endophthalmitis.
BACKGROUND
High-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is recently described as a late mediator of lethal endotoxemia with proinflammatory cytokine-like properties. The purpose of this study was to determine whether HMGB1 is involved in endophthalmitis.


METHODS
In this retrospective case-control study, vitreous levels of HMGB1 were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in ten eyes with endophthalmitis, and in 12 eyes with idiopathic macular holes which served as controls. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections of an enucleated eye with endophthalmitis, and a control eye with recurrent conjunctival malignant melanoma, were analyzed by immunohistochemistry with an anti-HMGB1 antibody.


RESULTS
The vitreous HMGB1 level of the patients with endophthalmitis was 13.96 +/- 17.17 ng/ml (mean+/-SD), which was significantly higher than that of the controls (0.236 +/- 0.128 ng/ml; P = .0006, Mann-Whitney U test). There were significant correlations between HMGB1 level and disease duration, presenting visual acuity, and final visual acuity. In the eye with endophthalmitis, HMGB1 expression was diffusely observed, particularly in the extranuclear region of the retina and the choroid with infiltrating inflammatory cells.


CONCLUSIONS
HMGB1 can be released in the vitreous of eyes with endophthalmitis depending on inflammation and tissue damage. Our results suggest that HMGB1 may be a late mediator of endophthalmitis, and related to the progression of endophthalmitis.
Arimura
Noboru
N
Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan.
Ki-I
Yuya
Y
Hashiguchi
Teruto
T
Sakamoto
Taiji
T
Maruyama
Ikuro
I
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002829:Choroid / Q000378:metabolism; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D024243:HMGB1 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism*
D024243:HMGB1 Protein