title: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor as a biomarker in primary open-angle glaucoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To introduce a novel biomarker for screening of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) by detecting and measuring brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the serum of normal subjects and patients with early stage of glaucoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five glaucoma patients as the case group and 25 age- and sex-matched normal persons as the control group were tested. The control group comprised 19 men and 6 women, with the mean age of 59.32 ± 11.8 years and without any apparent ocular or systemic diseases. The case group comprised 20 men and 5 women, with the mean age of 59.64 ± 11.56 years, who were assessed by routinely performed clinical and paraclinical investigations. BDNF levels in serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using monoclonal antibodies specific for BDNF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean of BDNF levels in the serum was 27.16 ± 5.53 ng/mL in the control subjects and 18.42 ± 4.05 ng/mL in the subjects with the early stage glaucoma. A statistically significant difference was evident between the two groups (p < 0.05). We found no significant differences in serum BDNF levels according to the subjects' age, gender, duration of the glaucoma, mean intraocular pressure, and blood pressure (p > 0.05). Glaucoma patients who had lower serum BDNF concentration had disclosed a significant negative correlation with pattern standard deviations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that BDNF in the serum might be a useful biochemical marker for early detection of POAG. We also propose that this might be a reliable, time efficient, and cost-effective method for diagnosis, screening, and assessing the progression of POAG. However, more studies and trials are needed to investigate these factors in greater detail.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Dr. Khodadoust Eye Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. alirezaghaffariyeh@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghaffariyeh
authors.forename: Nazafarin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Honarpisheh
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.forename: Sadollah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puyan
authors.forename: Fuad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abasov
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor