title: Vascular endothelial growth factor genetic polymorphisms and susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration in Tunisian population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Three VEGF SNPs (-2578) C/A, (+405) G/C and (+936) C/T were investigated in Tunisian exudative AMD patients in order to determine their association with the disease susceptibility and their influence to intravitreal bevacizumab therapy response.
  
  
  METHODS
  145 AMD patients and 207 age-matched controls were included. 68 patients were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab. SNPs genotyping were performed using direct sequencing. The serum VEGF was assayed by ELISA (R&D).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The (+405) CC and (+936) TT genotypes were higher in AMD patients than in controls (p = 5 × 10(-6) and p = 0.021, respectively). The mean plasma levels of VEGF were statistically higher in AMD patients (84.22 pg/ml) than in controls (15 pg/ml). Three months after bevacizumab treatment, 52 patients (85.6%) were classified as good responders (GR) and 16 (14.4%) as poor responders (PR). The mean plasmatic-VEGF levels in GR patients was higher (86.61 ± 80.30 pg/ml) than in PR patients (47.12 ± 45.74 pg/ml) (p = 0.086). The patients with genotype homozygous TT (+936) would be PR compared to those carrying CT and CC genotypes. Whereas, those with AA (-2578) genotype would be GR compared with others genotypes (p = 0.014; p = 0.042 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that VEGF genetic variants may contribute to the susceptibility to neovascular AMD in Tunisian patients.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of renal Transplantation and Immunopathology (LR03SP01), University Tunis El Manar, Immunology Laboratory, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Bd 9 Avril, Tunis 1006, Tunisia ; Oculogenetic Research Unit, Department B of Ophtalmology, Hedi Rais Institute of Ophthalmology, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Imen
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Habibi
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of renal Transplantation and Immunopathology (LR03SP01), University Tunis El Manar, Immunology Laboratory, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Bd 9 Avril, Tunis 1006, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Imen
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sfar
authors.affiliation: Oculogenetic Research Unit, Department B of Ophtalmology, Hedi Rais Institute of Ophthalmology, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chebil
authors.affiliation: Oculogenetic Research Unit, Department B of Ophtalmology, Hedi Rais Institute of Ophthalmology, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Fedra
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kort
authors.affiliation: Oculogenetic Research Unit, Department B of Ophtalmology, Hedi Rais Institute of Ophthalmology, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Rim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bouraoui
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of renal Transplantation and Immunopathology (LR03SP01), University Tunis El Manar, Immunology Laboratory, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Bd 9 Avril, Tunis 1006, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Salwa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jendoubi-Ayed
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of renal Transplantation and Immunopathology (LR03SP01), University Tunis El Manar, Immunology Laboratory, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Bd 9 Avril, Tunis 1006, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mouna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makhlouf
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of renal Transplantation and Immunopathology (LR03SP01), University Tunis El Manar, Immunology Laboratory, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Bd 9 Avril, Tunis 1006, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Taïeb Ben
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Abdallah
authors.affiliation: Oculogenetic Research Unit, Department B of Ophtalmology, Hedi Rais Institute of Ophthalmology, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: El Matri
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of renal Transplantation and Immunopathology (LR03SP01), University Tunis El Manar, Immunology Laboratory, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Bd 9 Avril, Tunis 1006, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Yousr
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gorgi
keywords: AMD; Macula; VEGF