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An immunochemical quantitative analysis of the protein pattern in physiologic and pathologic vitreous

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Abstract

Biochemical changes in the vitreous in different vitreoretinal disorders have not yet been thoroughly studied. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent analysis (ELISA), we established mean values and 95% confidence intervals for six proteins of physiologic human vitreous: albumin (293 ± 18 mg/l), transferrin (73.7 ±6.6 mg/l), immunoglobulin G (IgG), (33,5 ± 3 mg/l), α1-antitrypsin (14.1 ± 2.9 mg/l), α1-acid glycoprotein (4 ±0.7 mg/l), and lactoferrin (< 50 μg/l). These six proteins were also determined in vitreous aspirates from patients with idiopathic proliferative vitreoretinopathy (n = 10), traumatic proliferative vitreoretinopathy (n = 10),and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (n = 15). The pattern of protein levels varied widely within each of the disorders. An analysis of absolute protein levels showed significant differences in total protein and α1-antitrypsin levels between controls and pathologic vitreous samples. We observed differences in transferrin between controls and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and differences in α1-acid glycoprotein between controls and both types of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). The single disorders themselves could not be differentiated by any of the proteins. When the relative contribution of single proteins to total vitreal protein was compared, albumin was lower in all three disorders than in controls. Transferrin was lower in traumatic PVR than in controls, in PDR, or in idiopathic PVR. Our results indicate that the three vitreoretinal disorders studied are characterized by a breakdown of blood-ocular barriers.

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Author notes

  1. Michael Weller

    Present address: Institut für Neurologie der Universität, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3ppe-Seyler-Strasse 3ppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, W-7400, Tübingen, Federal Republic of Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universitäts-Augenklinik, Abteilung für Netzhaut- und Glaskörperchirurgie, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9, W-5000, Köln 41, Federal Republic of Germany

    Ralf Clausen, Michael Weller, Peter Wiedemann & Klaus Heimann

  2. Institut für Medizinische Dokumentation und Statistik, Universität Köln, W-5000, Köln, Federal Republic of Germany

    Ralf-Dieter Hilgers

  3. Zentrum Anatomie, Universität Köln, W-5000, Köln, Federal Republic of Germany

    Karl Zilles

Authors
  1. Ralf Clausen
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  2. Michael Weller
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  3. Peter Wiedemann
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  4. Klaus Heimann
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  5. Ralf-Dieter Hilgers
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  6. Karl Zilles
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Additional information

This study was supported by the Retinovit-Foundation and DFG (Wi 880/3-1). Preliminary results of this study were presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the German Ophthalmologic Society, September 1989, Heidelberg

Offprint requests to: P. Wiedemann

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Clausen, R., Weller, M., Wiedemann, P. et al. An immunochemical quantitative analysis of the protein pattern in physiologic and pathologic vitreous. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 229, 186–190 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170555

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170555

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