RESEARCH ARTICLE


Aqueous Flare, Functional-Morphological Parameters, and Cytokines in Age-Related Macular Degeneration after Anti-VEGF Treatment



Ryosuke Motohashi1, Hidetaka Noma1, *, Kanako Yasuda1, Yuko Kasezawa1, Hiroshi Goto2, Masahiko Shimura1
1 Department of Ophthalmology, Hachioji Medical Center, Tokyo Medical University, Hachioji, Tokyo 193-0998, Japan
2 Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan


Article Metrics

CrossRef Citations:
0
Total Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 1448
Abstract HTML Views: 675
PDF Downloads: 438
Total Views/Downloads: 2561
Unique Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 686
Abstract HTML Views: 356
PDF Downloads: 281
Total Views/Downloads: 1323



Creative Commons License
© 2021 Motohashi et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Ophthalmology, Hachioji Medical Center, Tokyo Medical University, 1163, Tatemachi, Hachioji, Tokyo 193-0998, Japan; Tel: 81-42-665-5611; Fax: 81-42-665-1796;
E-mail: noma-hide@umin.ac.jp


Abstract

Purpose:

The role of inflammation and cytokines in AMD and anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF) treatment remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether anti-VEGF treatment for exudative Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) affects aqueous flare value (an indicator of inflammation), functional-morphologic parameters, and aqueous humor levels of cytokines or inflammatory mediators.

Methods:

We compared aqueous humor levels of 8 cytokines, growth factors (including VEGF), and inflammatory mediators in 43 patients who received anti-VEGF treatment with aflibercept for AMD and 24 healthy controls by the suspension array method. In addition, we measured aqueous flare values with a laser flare meter and Central Macular Thickness (CMT) and Macular Volume (MV) by optical coherence tomography.

Results:

The patient group had a significantly higher aqueous flare value than the control group. At baseline, CMT showed significant correlations with aqueous humor levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 and MV, with aqueous humor levels of VEGF, sICAM-1, MCP-1, IL-6, and IL-8. Moreover, we found significant correlations between aqueous flare value and aqueous humor levels of MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8, and interferon-gamma–inducible protein 10. One month after anti-VEGF treatment, the patient group showed a significant correlation between the change in MV and improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA); CMT showed no such correlation.

Conclusion:

Inflammation appears to be involved in AMD. Change in MV may be an index of improvement in BCVA in patients receiving anti-VEGF treatment for AMD.

Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration, Anti-VEGF treatment, Inflammation, Aqueous flare value, Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, Interleukin, Interferon-inducible 10-kDa protein.