Purpose: The aim of the study was to measure amino acid levels with the metabolomics analysis in pterygium tissue and normal conjunctiva tissue.
Materials and methods: In this prospective, randomized, clinical study, a comparison of the amino acid profile of pterygium tissue and normal conjunctiva tissue taken during autograft pterygium surgery was made. After homogenization of the tissues, amino acid levels were measured with chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in the biochemistry laboratory. Statistical analysis was made using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results: Evaluation of pterygium and normal conjunctiva tissues of 29 patients, comprising 16 females and 13 males with a mean age of 54.75 ± 11.25 years (range 21-78 years) was made. While a dramatic increase was observed in all the amino acid levels in the pterygium tissue compared to the normal conjunctiva (p > 0.05), only the increases in arginine, methionine, glycine and tyrosine amino acids were determined to be statistically significant (p < 0.01), (p = 0.028), (p = 0.038), (p = 0.046).
Conclusion: Pterygium is known to be degenerative inflammatory fibrovascular tissue. When the aetiology is examined in depth, several metabolic processes are seen to have an effect. Further studies of the amino acid profile with more extensive patient series could confirm the data obtained in the current study and contribute to the clarification of the pathogenesis of pterygium.
Keywords: Amino acid; Chromatography–mass spectrometry; Metabolomics; Pterygium.