Vitreous levels of angiopoietin 2 and vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Watanabe, Daisuke; Suzuma, Kiyoshi; Suzuma, Izumi; Ohashi, Hirokazu; Ojima, Tomonari; Kurimoto, Masafumi; Murakami, Tomoaki; Kimura, Tetsushi; Takagi, Hitoshi

doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2004.10.004

« Previous Next »American Journal of Ophthalmology
Volume 139, Issue 3 , Pages 476-481, March 2005

Vitreous levels of angiopoietin 2 and vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Daisuke Watanabe, MD, PhD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Kiyoshi Suzuma, MD, PhD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Izumi Suzuma, MD, PhD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Hirokazu Ohashi, MD, PhD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Tomonari Ojima, MD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Masafumi Kurimoto, MD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Tomoaki Murakami, MD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Tetsushi Kimura, MD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Hitoshi Takagi, MD, PhD
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
- Inquiries to Hitoshi Takagi, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoinkawara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; fax: (+81) 75-752-0933

Accepted 4 October 2004. published online 28 January 2005.

Purpose

To investigate the levels of angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the vitreous fluids of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and to ascertain their involvement, if any, in angiogenesis of PDR.

Design

Retrospective case-control study.

Methods

Forty-one eyes of 41 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and 18 eyes of 18 patients with nondiabetic ocular diseases (control group). Nondiabetic control eyes included 11 with idiopathic macular hole and 7 with idiopathic epiretinal membrane. Vitreous fluid samples were obtained at vitrectomy, and the levels of Ang2 and VEGF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Vitreous level (mean ± SD) of Ang2 was significantly higher in patients with PDR (1,753 ± 3,213 pg/ml) than in control patients (112 ± 113 pg/ml) (P < .0001). The vitreous concentration of VEGF was also significantly higher in patients with PDR (812 ± 1,108 pg/ml) than in control patients (1.7 ± 4.4 pg/ml) (P < .0001). Both Ang2 and VEGF levels in eyes with active PDR were significantly higher than in those with inactive PDR. The vitreous concentration of Ang2 correlated significantly with that of VEGF in eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy ([correlation coefficient] ρ = 0.497, P = .001).

Conclusions

These data demonstrate an increase of Ang2 in the vitreous fluid of patients with PDR and suggest an association of Ang2 and VEGF with angiogenic activity in PDR.

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This study was supported by grants-in-aid for scientific research from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture and the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Japanese Government (15390529 and 14704045).

PII: S0002-9394(04)01239-5

doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2004.10.004

« Previous Next »American Journal of Ophthalmology
Volume 139, Issue 3 , Pages 476-481, March 2005

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