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Comparison of inflammatory cytokines levels in the aqueous humor with diabetic retinopathy

International Ophthalmology volume 40, pages 2763–2769 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Evidence has accumulated suggesting that various inflammatory cytokines are involved in the progress of diabetic retinopathy (DR), but there are few studies concerning the relationship between individual cytokines levels in the aqueous humor (AH) and the severity of DR. This study aimed to explore the differences of interleukin (IL)-23, IL-17, IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in AH form patients with different proliferative stages of DR.

Methods

From June 2016 to June 2019, patients for senile cataract surgery were enrolled with the informed consent. All cases were graded into 4 groups: the control group (patients without diabetes), non-retinopathy (NDR) group (diabetic patients without retinopathy), non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group. The concentrations of IL-23, IL-17, IL-10, and TGF-β in AH were measured using ELISA and compared them within four groups by ANOVA.

Results

In this study, 20 (28.57%), 18 (25.71%), 17 (24.29%), and 15 (21.43%) patients were included in the control, NDR, NPDR, and PDR groups, respectively. There had no significant differences in demographic characteristics (P > 0.05). Comparison of these cytokines within four groups revealed: the IL-23 level was increased in NDR group initially and raised along with the progression of DR (P < 0.01). The IL-17 level was significantly higher in NPDR and PDR groups compared to NDR and the control groups, and positively correlated with more-severe DR (P < 0.01). By contrast, The IL-10 level was significantly lower in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic controls, and decreased as the severity of DR increased (P < 0.05). In addition, TGF-β was also elevated in diabetic patients, but showed no differences based on the presence or severity of DR (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

The over-expression of IL-23 and IL-17 in AH might have a synergistic effect on the pathogenesis well before the proliferative stage, and was typical positively correlated with the severity of DR. These results offer a novel early therapeutic target for DR.

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Funding

This study was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 81770920).

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Affiliations

  1. The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443003, China

    Haijiang Zhang, Liang Liang, Rong Huang, Ping Wu & Liye He

  2. The Department of Ophthalmology, Yichang Central People’s Hospital, Yichang, 443003, China

    Haijiang Zhang, Liang Liang, Rong Huang, Ping Wu & Liye He

Authors
  1. Haijiang Zhang
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  2. Liang Liang
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  3. Rong Huang
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  4. Ping Wu
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  5. Liye He
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liang Liang.

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All authors have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the First College of Clinical medicine Science of Three Gorges University, and followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki in 1964.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Zhang, H., Liang, L., Huang, R. et al. Comparison of inflammatory cytokines levels in the aqueous humor with diabetic retinopathy. Int Ophthalmol 40, 2763–2769 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-020-01463-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-020-01463-9

Keywords

  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • IL-23
  • IL-17
  • IL-10
  • TGF-β
  • Aqueous humor