Characteristic cytokine profile of the aqueous humor in eyes with congenital cataract and pre-existing posterior capsule dysfunction

Yinying Zhao; Qihui Zhao; Hongfang Zhang; Zhewen Zhang; Dandan Wang; Zhangliang Li; Xixia Ding; Yune Zhao

doi:10.3389/fmed.2024.1301588

Characteristic cytokine profile of the aqueous humor in eyes with congenital cataract and pre-existing posterior capsule dysfunction

Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Feb 16:11:1301588. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1301588. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Yinying Zhao^{1

2}, Qihui Zhao^{1

2}, Hongfang Zhang^{1

2}, Zhewen Zhang^{1

2}, Dandan Wang^{1

2}, Zhangliang Li^{1

2}, Xixia Ding^{1

2}, Yune Zhao^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ The School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
² National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the characteristic cytokine profile of the aqueous humor in eyes with congenital cataract and pre-existing posterior capsule dysfunction (PCD).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the enrolled eyes with congenital cataract and PCD were included in the PCD group, while those with an intact posterior capsule were included in the control group. Demographic data and biometric parameters were recorded. The levels of 17 inflammatory factors in the aqueous humor collected from the enrolled eyes were detected using Luminex xMAP technology, and intergroup differences in the collected data were analyzed.

Results: The PCD group comprised 41 eyes from 31 patients with congenital cataract and PCD, whereas the control group comprised 42 eyes from 27 patients with congenital cataract and an intact posterior capsule. Lens thickness was significantly thinner in the PCD group than in the control group. However, the levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were significantly higher in the PCD group than in the control group. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that lens thickness and TGF-β2 level were independent risk factors for PCD.

Conclusion: A thinner lens thickness in eyes with congenital cataract and PCD could serve as a biometric feature of these eyes. The higher levels of MCP-1, TGF-β2, and VEGF in eyes with PCD indicated a change in their intraocular inflammatory microenvironment, which possibly led to cataract progression. Lens thickness and TGF-β2 level are independent risk factors for PCD.

Keywords: aqueous humor; congenital cataract; cytokine profile; inflammatory factors; posterior capsule dysfunction.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by research grants from the Science and Technology Program of Wenzhou City (Grant No. Y20211009), the “Pioneer” and “Leading Goose” R&D Program of Zhejiang (Grant No. 2022C03070).