title: Level of vascular endothelial growth factor 165b in human aqueous humor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vascular endothelial growth factor 165b (VEGF165b) is a splice variant of VEGF-A and is an anti-angiogenic form as opposed to a pro-angiogenic form of VEGF. We compared the level of VEGF165b in the aqueous humor of 77 eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 38 eyes with retinal vein occlusion (RVO).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, interventional case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  The concentration of aqueous VEGF165b was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and its level in the subgroups of AMD, classic and occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), was compared. The relationships between the VEGF165b level and the greatest linear dimension (GLD), central foveal thickness (CFT), and the height of the subretinal fluid (SRF) were determined for the AMD and RVO cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of VEGF165b was higher than the lower limit of detection (15 pg/ml) in 57% of the AMD cases (median, 16.4; range, <15-98 pg/ml) and 63% of the controls (median, 20.6; range, <15-46 pg/ml). The percentage of eyes with >15 pg/ml of VEGF165b was significantly lower in eyes with RVO (32%, p = 0.038). The VEGF165b level was not significantly different among the AMD subtypes, and it was not significantly correlated with the GLD, CFT, and SRF. In the RVO cases, the CFT and SRF thickness were greater in eyes with a VEGF level <15 pg/ml (p = 0.006, 0.048 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The anti-angiogenic VEGF165b was low in eyes with RVO. Therapy based on balancing the pro- and anti-angiogenic factors might be a new approach to treat ocular vascular disorders.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine , Chiba , Japan.
authors: Takayuki
authors: T
authors: Baba
authors: Guzel
authors: G
authors: Bikbova
authors: Masayasu
authors: M
authors: Kitahashi
authors: Hirotaka
authors: H
authors: Yokouchi
authors: Toshiyuki
authors: T
authors: Oshitari
authors: Shuichi
authors: S
authors: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000378:metabolism*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor 165b; aqueous humor; retinal vein occlusion