Evaluation of cardiovascular biomarkers in patients with age-related wet macular degeneration

Abstract

AimTo evaluate levels of homocysteine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and nitric oxide (NO), as well as activity of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).MethodsThe levels of homocysteine, ADMA, and NO and activity of eNOS in patients who were diagnosed with wet AMD by fundus fluorescein angiography (n=30) were compared to a control group with no retinal pathology (n=30).ResultsLevels of homocysteine and ADMA were found to be significantly higher in the wet AMD group than in the control group (P<0.001), whereas NO levels and eNOS activity were higher in the control group (P<0.001). In the wet AMD group, we detected a 2.64- and 0.33-fold increase in the levels of ADMA and homocysteine, respectively, and a 0.49- and 2.41-fold decrease in the eNOS activity and NO level, respectively.ConclusionElevated levels of homocysteine and ADMA were observed in patients with wet AMD. Increased ADMA may be responsible for the diminished eNOS activity found in these patients, which in turn contributes to the decrease in NO levels, which likely plays a role in the pathogenesis of AMD.

Serum levels of lipid metabolites in age‐related macular degeneration

“…In addition, biomarkers that are relevant in other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, were also evaluated. Among these, homocysteine and C-reactive protein seem to be elevated in patients with AMD (70,71). Improvement in the sample size and similar analysis of a larger number of lipids could improve the predictability of our approach.…”

Risk factors and biomarkers of age-related macular degeneration

“…Comparing the highest and lowest quartiles of plasma homocysteine levels in women that developed AMD, there was a modest, yet non-significant difference (HR 1.24, P=0.07) (Christen et al, 2015). Overall, the data on the relationship between plasma homocysteine levels and AMD remains controversial (Huang et al, 2015; Keles et al, 2014; Pinna et al, 2016) and future well-designed trials are needed to establish homocysteine as a viable biomarker of AMD.…”

“…While the relationship between plasma homocysteine levels and AMD is controversial (Huang et al, 2015; Keles et al, 2014; Pinna et al, 2016), proteomic research shows promise with respect to developing biomarkers for AMD, such as CEP, particularly when used in combination with pentosidine (Gu et al, 2009). Additionally, plasma protein N ε -carboxymethyllysine (CML) and pentosidine had been quantified in order to use them as AMD biomarkers, where the level of CML and pentosidine was higher in patients with AMD (Ni et al, 2009b).…”

Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors Protect Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells Against Oxidation by Modulating Nitric Oxide Release and Autophagy

“…All together those findings could be associated with neuronal degeneration in retina and hemodynamic changes in AMD choroid. In spite of this, the precise role of NO in the onset of AMD has not yet been clearly examined [5]. Furthermore, mitochondrial damage and reactive oxygen species (ROS) could play an important role in AMD pathogenesis, through the reduction of vascularization of choriocapillaris and apoptosis and by increasing the formation of drusen [6] and the release of pro-angiogenic vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) from the retinal pigment epithelium cells (RPE) [7-9].…”