Objective: To study the local and systemic behavior of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in patients with active uveitis. Methods: TNF-α levels were measured in aqueous humor and peripheral blood samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from 23 patients with uveitis and 16 control patients who had been operated on for uncomplicated cataracts. Results: Aqueous humor and sera of patients with uveitis showed higher levels of TNF-α than those of controls (p < 0.001). A comparison of cytokine levels between aqueous humor and sera showed significantly higher levels of TNF-α in serum than aqueous humor (p < 0.001). Correlation studies using the regression test for successive steps showed that serum TNF-α levels correlated with recurrent uveitis (r = 0.4150; p = 0.0489). Conclusions: TNF-α is a cytokine that participates actively in the pathogenesis of clinical uveitis. Our data emphasize the greater systemic than local participation of TNF-α. Finally, an elevated serum TNF-α seems to be associated with a recurrent pattern of uveitis.

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The finding of elevated levels of soluble IL-2R and soluble ICAM-1 in the aqueous humor and peripheral blood of patients with uveitis suggests the local and systemic participation of these markers in the pathogenesis of uveitis.

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To research whether specific alleles HLA class I (HLA-A and HLA-B) and class II (HLA-DR) are risk factors for the development of exudative type of Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), HLA antigens are expressed both in normal and affected eyes with ARMD. We designed a prospective case-controlled study. We recruited 75 patients with choroidal neovascularization predominantly classic or occult, secondary to ARMD, and treated with photodynamic therapy. Two hundred and fifty patients over 55 years old, without ophthalmologic pathology who went to hospital for an analytical routine check were used as control. The analysis of the data shows a significant difference between two groups. Allele HLA-B27 correlated positively with ARMD (p < 0.0113). However, we didn't find alleles negatively associated. Thus HLA-B27 is an allele predisposed to suffer ARMD. Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 2009;6(4):303-307.