Scientific Reports (Apr 2021)

Changes in complement activation products after anti-VEGF injection for choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration and pachychoroid disease

  • Keiichiro Tanaka,
  • Yasuharu Oguchi,
  • Tomoko Omori,
  • Yumi Ishida,
  • Hiroaki Shintake,
  • Ryutaro Tomita,
  • Akihito Kasai,
  • Masashi Ogasawara,
  • Yukinori Sugano,
  • Kanako Itagaki,
  • Akira Ojima,
  • Takeshi Machida,
  • Hideharu Sekine,
  • Tetsuju Sekiryu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87340-6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Abstract We evaluated changes in the complement system resulting from anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in eyes with age-related choroidal neovascularization (CNV) including neovascular age-related macular degeneration, pachychoroid neovasculopathy, and polypoidal choroidal neovasculopathy. We measured the concentrations of the complement activation products (C3a, C4a), VEGF, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in the aqueous humor during intravitreal anti-VEGF injections for CNV. The VEGF level decreased significantly (P < 0.001), while the C3a and C4a levels increased significantly (P < 0.001 for both comparisons) 1 month after two monthly anti-VEGF injections. The VEGF level was correlated with the C3a (R = 0.328, P = 0.007) and C4a (R = − 0.237, P = 0.055) levels at baseline, but the correlation between the VEGF and C3a levels (R = − 0.148, P = 0.242) changed significantly (P = 0.028 by analysis of covariance) after anti-VEGF treatment. The C3a increase after anti-VEGF therapy did not change the visual outcomes in eyes with CNV for 1 year. Dysregulation of the complement system can be induced after anti-VEGF therapy.