Aflibercept is a frequently used inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the treatment of macular edema following central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Retinal proteome changes following aflibercept intervention in CRVO remain largely unstudied. Studying proteomic changes of aflibercept intervention may generate a better understanding of mechanisms of action and uncover aspects related to the safety profile. In 10 Danish Landrace pigs, CRVO was induced in both eyes with an argon laser. Right eyes were treated with intravitreal aflibercept while left control eyes received isotonic saline water. Retinal samples were collected 15 days after induced CRVO. Proteomic analysis by tandem mass tag-based mass spectrometry identified a total of 21 proteins that were changed in content following aflibercept intervention. In retinas treated with aflibercept, high levels of aflibercept components were reached, including the VEGF receptor-1 and VEGF receptor-2 domains. Fold changes in the additional proteins ranged between 0.70 and 1.19. Aflibercept intervention resulted in a downregulation of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) (fold change = 0.84) and endoplasmin (fold change = 0.91). The changes were slight and could thereby not be confirmed with less precise immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Our data suggest that aflibercept had a narrow mechanism of action in the CRVO model. This may be an important observation in cases when macular edema secondary to CRVO is resistant to aflibercept intervention.

Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is a visually disabling condition resulting from a thrombus in the major outflow vessel of the eye. The inflammatory response in CRVO is effectively treated with a dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implant. Uncovering the proteome changes following DEX implant intervention in CRVO may identify key proteins that mediate the beneficial effects of DEX. In six Göttingen minipigs, CRVO was induced in both eyes with an argon laser using a well-established experimental model. The right eyes were treated with a DEX intravitreal implant (Ozurdex, Allergan), while the left control eyes received a sham injection. Eight weeks after DEX intervention, retinal samples were collected and analyzed with tandem mass tag-based mass spectrometry. DEX implant intervention resulted in the upregulation of peptidyl-prolyl cis–trans isomerase FKBP5 (FKBP5) and ubiquilin-4. Immunohistochemistry showed expression of FKBP5 in the nuclei in all cellular layers of the retina. Cell adhesion molecule 3, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 16, and trans-1,2-dihydrobenzene-1,2-diol dehydrogenase were downregulated following DEX intervention. The upregulation of the corticosteroid-sensitive protein FKBP5 suggests that the implant remained active at the molecular level after eight weeks of treatment. Future studies may investigate if FKBP5 regulates the efficacy and duration of the DEX implant.

Aflibercept is an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) used to treat macular edema following branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Despite well-documented efficacy, there is limited knowledge about proteome changes following aflibercept intervention in BRVO. Proteome changes may provide insights into mechanisms of action as well as aspects related to safety profile. In seven Danish Landrace pigs, BRVO was induced with a well-established experimental model of argon laser-induced BRVO. BRVO was induced in both eyes. Three days after the induced BRVO, aflibercept was injected intravitreally in the right eyes, while the left eyes received intravitreal isotonic saline water. Retinas were collected 15 days after the induced BRVO and analyzed with label-free quantification liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LFQ LC-MS/MS). Fourteen proteins were changed in expression following aflibercept intervention in the BRVO model. LFQ LC-MS/MS identified an upregulation of DnaJ homolog subfamily C member 17 (DNAJC17) (fold change = 6.19) and a modest downregulation of isoform 2 of the protein encoded by N-myc downstream regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) (fold change = 0.40). NDRG2 was unchanged by Western blotting. In the additional significantly regulated proteins, only discrete changes were observed (fold changes 0.52–1.59). Our study is the first to report an association between aflibercept intervention and the heat shock protein DNAJC17. Our results indicate that the role of heat shock proteins in the treatment of BRVO should be further explored.

Aim: An objective assessment of small nerve fibers is key to the early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). This study investigates the diagnostic accuracy of a novel perception threshold tracking technique in detecting small nerve fiber damage. Methods: Participants with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) without DPN (n = 20), with DPN (n = 20), with painful DPN (n = 20) and 20 healthy controls (HCs) underwent perception threshold tracking on the foot and corneal confocal microscopy. Diagnostic accuracy of perception threshold tracking compared to corneal confocal microscopy was analyzed using logistic regression. Results: The rheobase, corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), corneal nerve branch density (CNBD), and corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL) (all P < .001) differed between groups. The diagnostic accuracy of perception threshold tracking (rheobase) was excellent for identifying small nerve fiber damage, especially for CNFL with a sensitivity of 94%, specificity 94%, positive predictive value 97%, and negative predictive value 89%. There was a significant correlation between rheobase with CNFD, CNBD, CNFL, and Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (all P < .001). Conclusion: Perception threshold tracking had a very high diagnostic agreement with corneal confocal microscopy for detecting small nerve fiber loss and may have clinical utility for assessing small nerve fiber damage and hence early DPN. Clinical Trials: NCT04078516