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Abstract #70154 Published in IGR 18-2
Elevated intraocular pressure increases melatonin levels in the aqueous humour
Alkozi H; Sánchez-Naves J; de Lara MJ; Carracedo G; Fonseca B; Martinez-Aguila A; Pintor JActa Ophthalmologica 2017; 95: e185-e189
PURPOSE: To study the levels of melatonin in the aqueous humour of normotensive and hypertensive intraocular pressure (IOP) patients and to compare them to an animal model of glaucoma. METHODS: A total of 37 eyes of 37 patients who underwent cataract surgery were included in the study and were divided into normotensive patients, with IOP below 21 mmHg (n = 23), and hypertensive patients, with IOP > 21 mmHg (n = 14). Glaucomatous DBA/2J (n = 6) and control C57BL/6J (n = 6) mice presenting 3 and 12 months of age for each strain were also used. Human and mice aqueous humours were aspirated using a 30-gauge Rycroft cannula on a tuberculin syringe and further processed to quantify melatonin by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. RESULTS: Melatonin levels in normotensive patients (IOP below 21 mmHg) presented values as medians (first quartile; third quartile) of 14.62 (5.38;37.99) ng/ml (n = 23), while hypertensive patients (IOP above 21 mmHg) showed melatonin concentrations of 46.63 (10.28; 167.28) ng/ml (n = 14; p < 0.039). Glaucoma mice presented melatonin values of 0.37 (0.34; 0.59) ng/ml (at 3 months of age, before the pathology starts), which increased to 1.55 (0.94; 1.88) ng/ml (at 12 months of age, when the pathology is fully developed and IOP is maximum; n = 6, p < 0.001). Control mice did not significantly modified melatonin concentrations between 3 and 12 months of age. CONCLUSION: Patients with high IOP present increased concentrations of melatonin in their aqueous humour compared to normotensive patients. This has been confirmed in a glaucomatous animal model in which it has been possible to see a correlation between the development of the pathology, with an increase in IOP, and a concomitant elevation of melatonin in the aqueous humour.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology IV, Faculty of Optics and Optometry, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Full articleClassification:
2.6.3 Compostion (Part of: 2 Anatomical structures in glaucoma > 2.6 Aqueous humor dynamics)
3.7 Biochemistry (Part of: 3 Laboratory methods)
3.9 Pathophysiology (Part of: 3 Laboratory methods)