Artikel
Intraocular growth factors are not altered in early stages of diabetes mellitus
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Autoren
Veröffentlicht: | 22. September 2004 |
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Gliederung
Text
Objective
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is characterized by an imbalance of angiogenic and angioinhibitory intraocular cytokines. Thus we investigated PEDF and VEGF levels in early stages of diabetes mellitus with no clinical signs of retinal damage.
Methods
We obtained vitreous of 16 diabetic patients and 31 nondiabetic patients undergoing routine vitrectomy due to macular hole, epiretinal gliosis or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. None of these patients showed any signs of diabetic retinopathy. Albumin levels were measured by standard techniques. PEDF vitreous levels were determined by western blot analysis. VEGF was measured with ELISA. PEDF and albumin are provided as means±SEM, VEGF levels are provided as medians.
Results
Albumin levels are not different in diabetics and controls (0,32 g/l±0,07 g/l versus 0,34 g/l±0,07 g/l, p=0,8). PEDF levels differ in the three disease groups but not in diabetics and non-diabetics (3,6 μg/ml±0,3 μg/ml and 3,32 μg/ml±0,29 μg/ml; p=0,5, respectively) within one group. VEGF is detectable in 7 samples of controls (median 6,3 pg/ml) and in 2 samples of diabetics (median 6,2 pg/ml). This difference is not significant.
Conclusions
There is no difference in albumin levels and levels of the cytokines PEDF and VEGF in nondiabetics and diabetics without diabetic retinopathy. We conclude that first hyperglycemia induces local hypoxia through various pathways which then leads to an increase in angiogenic cytokines as PEDF and VEGF with the development of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.