Correlations Between Different Angiogenic and Inflammatory Factors in Vitreous Fluid of Eyes With Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Guanrong Wu; Baoyi Liu; Qiaowei Wu; Changting Tang; Zijing Du; Ying Fang; Yijun Hu; Honghua Yu

doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.727407

Correlations Between Different Angiogenic and Inflammatory Factors in Vitreous Fluid of Eyes With Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Front Med (Lausanne). 2021 Sep 28:8:727407. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.727407. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Guanrong Wu^{1

2}, Baoyi Liu², Qiaowei Wu², Changting Tang², Zijing Du², Ying Fang², Yijun Hu^{2

3

4}, Honghua Yu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
³ Aier Institute of Refractive Surgery, Refractive Surgery Center, Guangzhou Aier Eye Hospital, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Aier School of Ophthalmology, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the expression of various angiogenesis and inflammation mediators in the vitreous fluid of eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Methods: A total of 38 eyes with PDR and 37 control eyes were included. Vitreous fluid was collected during vitrectomy. Vitreous levels of colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R), syndecan-1, placental growth factor (PIGF), and angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL-4) were measured by multiplex immunoassay. Vitreous levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were measured by cytometric beads array. Levels of these mediators were compared between the PDR and control eyes. Correlations between levels of different mediators and between these mediators and kidney function metrics in the PDR group were also analyzed. Results: Vitreous levels of syndecan-1, PIGF, ANGPTL-4, VEGF, and IL-8 were significantly higher in the PDR group compared to the control group (all p < 0.05). Levels of VEGF were significantly correlated with levels of syndecan-1, PIGF, and ANGPTL-4 (r = 0.370 to 0.497, all p < 0.05). Significant positive correlations were detected between levels of any two of the following mediators including syndecan-1, PIGF, ANGPTL-4, and IL-8 (r = 0.370 to 0.906, all p < 0.05). Apart from VEGF, levels of these mediators were positively correlated with serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (r = 0.328 to 0.638, all p < 0.05), and negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose and estimated glomerular filtration rate (r = -0.325 to -0.603, all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Correlations between different angiogenesis and inflammation mediators were observed in eyes with PDR, suggesting cross-talks of different angiogenesis and inflammation pathways in the pathogenesis of PDR. The levels of angiogenesis and inflammation in PDR are correlated with kidney damage, indicating possible common pathways in diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy.

Keywords: angiogenesis; diabetic retinopathy; inflammation; proliferative diabetic retinopathy; vitreous fluid.