Serum and aqueous humor adiponectin levels correlate with diabetic retinopathy development and progression

Abstract

Purpose To compare adiponectin (APN) levels in the serum and aqueous humor (AH) and evaluate their association with the development/progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods Diabetic patients with (group 3; n = 59) and without (group 2; n = 39) DR and age- and sex-matched normal subjects (group 1; n = 35) were compared. Duration of diabetes, body mass index, serum HbA1c, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), APN, pentraxin 3 (PTX3), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and APN were measured and analyzed. Results One hundred and thirty-three participants were included. Compared to patients without diabetes, diabetic patients with DR had significantly elevated average serum APN levels (5.99±3.89 μg/ml versus 3.51±1.44 μg/ml, P = 0.002) and average AH APN levels (10.94±11.74 ng/ml versus 3.65±3.33 ng/ml, PConclusions AH APN levels correlated well with DR development and progression. Serum APN could be a better marker for estimating intraocular cytokines, including both intraocular APN and VEGF concentrations in clinical field, than serum VEGF in DR patients.