title: Aqueous humor cytokine levels in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the possible roles of various cytokines or growth factors in the pathogenesis of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by comparing aqueous humor levels of 14 cytokines between eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and those with neovascular AMD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty eyes from 40 patients with treatment-naïve exudative AMD consisting of 18 eyes with neovascular AMD and 22 eyes with PCV were studied. Twenty eyes from 20 patients with no retinal pathology who underwent cataract surgery served as controls. Aqueous humor samples were collected just before intravitreal ranibizumab injection in 40 eyes with exudative AMD and before cataract surgery in 20 control eyes. Concentrations of 14 cytokines were determined by chemiluminescence-based ELISA: interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, interferon-γ-inducible protein (IP)-10 and C-reactive protein (CRP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for gender, age and axial length, concentrations of CRP and IP-10 were significantly higher in eyes with neovascular AMD or PCV compared with control eyes (p < 0.05), and IP-10 levels were strongly associated with lesion size (p = 0.002). None of the 14 cytokines, including VEGF, were significantly different between eyes with neovascular AMD and those with PCV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aqueous humor concentrations of CRP and IP-10 were elevated in eyes with PCV or neovascular AMD. IP-10 could be associated with the pathogenesis of neovascular AMD and PCV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakurada
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Seigo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoneyama
authors.forename: Fumihiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mabuchi
authors.forename: Teruhiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gotoh
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tateno
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iijima
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D004396:Coloring Agents; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D011127:Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D004396:Coloring Agents; D016207:Cytokines; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D000069579:Ranibizumab