title: Angiogenic and vasculogenic factors in the vitreous from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
abstract: This study was conducted to determine levels of angiogenic and endothelial progenitor cell mobilizing (vasculogenic) factors in vitreous fluid from proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients and correlate their levels with clinical disease activity. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (sVEGFR-2), stem cell factor (SCF), soluble c-kit (s-kit), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were measured by ELISA in vitreous samples from 34 PDR and 15 nondiabetic patients. eNOS was not detected. VEGF, sVEGFR-2, SCF, and s-kit levels were significantly higher in PDR with active neovascularization compared with quiescent PDR and nondiabetic patients (P < 0.001; 0.007; 0.001; <0.001, resp.). In contrast, PGE2 levels were significantly higher in nondiabetic patients compared with PDR patients (P < 0.001). There were significant correlations between levels of sVEGFR-2 versus SCF (r = 0.950, P < 0.001), sVEGFR-2 versus s-kit (r = 0.941, P < 0.001), and SCF versus s-kit (r = 0.970, P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that upregulation of VEGF, sVEGFR-2, SCF, and s-kit supports the contributions of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in pathogenesis of PDR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ; Department of Ophthalmology, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Old Airport Road, P.O. Box 245, Riyadh 11411, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ahmed M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abu El-Asrar
authors.forename: Mohd Imtiaz
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Nawaz
authors.forename: Dustan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kangave
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mairaj Siddiquei
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Geboes