title: Cytokine concentration in aqueous humour of eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the concentration of cytokines in the aqueous humour of eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical interventional study included a study group of 18 patients with exudative AMD and a control group of 20 patients undergoing routine cataract surgery. Age did not vary significantly (p = 0.36) between study group (80.8 ± 6.4 years) and control group (77.0 ± 9.9 years), nor did gender (p = 0.75). During the interventions, aqueous humour samples were obtained, in which the concentration of cytokines was measured using a solid-phase chemiluminescence immunoassay. Macular thickness was measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the study group as compared to the control group, significantly higher concentrations were measured for epithelial growth factor (EGF) (p = 0.017), human growth factor (HGF) (p= 0.048), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM1) (p = 0.028), interleukin 12p40 (IL12p40) (p = 0.009), interleukin 1a2 (IL1a2) (p = 0.01), interleukin 3 (IL3) (p = 0.02), interleukin 6 (IL6) (p = 0.006), interleukin 8 (IL8) (p = 0.02), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) (p = 0.048), monokine induced by interferon gamma (MIG) (p = 0.016), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) (p = 0.004) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1) (p = 0.006). Macular thickness was significantly associated with the concentrations of EGF (p = 0.001), HGF (p = 0.02), ICAM1 (p = 0.001), interleukin 12p40 (p = 0.006), IL 1a2 (p = 0.002), MIG (p = 0.001), MMP9 (p < 0.001) and PAI1 (p = 0.01). Interleukin 6 and MCP-1 showed significant associations with the height of retinal pigment epithelium detachment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Numerous cytokines are associated with the presence and the amount of exudative AMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Germany. jost.jonas@umm.de
authors.forename: Jost B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neumaier
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Findeisen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines