Abstract
Purpose. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) play a central role in the new vessel formation in ocular diseases including diabetic retinopathy. In this study, the correlations between VEGF and the clinical characteristics of retinopathy were investigated in diabetic patients. Methods. The concentrations of VEGF were measured in 27 specimens of the aqueous humor or vitreous fluid obtained from 25 diabetic patients (NIDDM) and 2 non-diabetic patients, using radioimmunoassay. As for the clinical data, grades of retinopathy, protein concentration in aqueous humor, duration of diabetes, states of blood glucose control were investigated. The correlations between VEGF concentrations and the above clinical data were determined. Results and Discussion. VEGF was detected in 21 of the 27 specimens. The mean VEGF concentration in patients with active proliferative retinopathy was 6.79 ng/ml, which was significantly higher than that in non-active proliferative retinopathy and background retinopathy and non-diabetic patients (1.25, 1.32 and 1.05 ng/ml respectively). The VEGF concentration increased in the patients when the duration of diabetes was longer than 10 years, which suggests that VEGF may increase before retinopathy progresses to proliferative stage. The aqueous humor protein concentration or the blood glucose control did not correlate with the VEGF concentration. Conclusions. VEGF was thought to increase in correlation with the process of retinopathy progression to the proliferative stage.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S792 |
| Journal | Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 1996 Feb 15 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology
- Sensory Systems
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
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