PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

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

  • Hyun Seung Yang,
  • Young Je Choi,
  • Hee Yong Han,
  • Hak Su Kim,
  • So Hyun Park,
  • Kyung Sub Lee,
  • Sang Hwa Lim,
  • Doo Jin Heo,
  • Sangkyung Choi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259683
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 11
p. e0259683

Abstract

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PurposeTo compare adiponectin (APN) levels in the serum and aqueous humor (AH) and evaluate their association with the development/progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR).MethodsDiabetic 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.ResultsOne 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, PConclusionsAH 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.