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Abstract #15474 Published in IGR 1-3
Increased interleukin-6 in aqueous humor of neovascular glaucoma
Chen KH; Wu CC; Roy S; Lee SM; Liu JHInvestigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 1999; 40: 2627-2632
PURPOSE: To demonstrate the involvement of proinflammatory cytokines in intraocular neovascularization by detecting the presence of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-2, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in aqueous humor and serum of patients with neovascular glaucoma (NVG) secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). METHODS: According to the grade of iris neovascularization (NVI), patients with CRVO were divided into three groups: CRVO without NVI, CRVO with NVI, and CRVO with regressed NVI. Healthy patients with cataract were enrolled as control subjects. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantitate the concentrations of the cytokines IL-6, IL-2, and TNF-α in aqueous humor and serum from patients with NVG and control subjects. RESULTS: In serum, the levels of IL-6, IL-2, and TNF-α did not differ among groups. In aqueous humor, only IL-6 showed significant change among groups. IL-6 levels in aqueous humor of group 2, CRVO with NVI (1532.0±221.1 pg/ml; p < 0.001), and group 3, CRVO with regressed NVI (234±154.6 pg/ml; p < 0.001), were significantly higher. There was no significant difference in IL-6 levels between the control group (26.4±21.8 pg/ml) and group 1 (15.6±0.9 pg/ml). CONCLUSIONS: The inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in aqueous humor increased spatially and temporally correlated with the grade of NVI in patients of NVG secondary to CRVO. The aqueous IL-6 increased in NVI and decreased after vessels regressed. It is possible that the significantly higher level of IL-6 was due to intraocular synthesis because of the minimal change in serum. The increased level of IL-6 may have a putative role along with other angiogenic factors in angiogenesis of NVG as a possible predictor of NVI.
Dr. K.H. Chen, Department of Ophthalmology, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan; Republic of China
Classification:
9.4.5.1 Neovascular glaucoma (Part of: 9 Clinical forms of glaucomas > 9.4 Glaucomas associated with other ocular and systemic disorders > 9.4.5 Glaucomas associated with disorders of the retina, choroid and vitreous)