Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of B-Cell-Produced Antibodies in Vitreous Humor of Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract

<jats:p><jats:italic>Aim</jats:italic>. To analyze the levels of B-cell-produced antibodies in the vitreous humor of patients with or without diabetic retinopathy (DR) both qualitatively and quantitatively. <jats:italic>Methods</jats:italic>. A total of 52 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with DR patients and 52 control subjects without diabetes mellitus or inflammatory diseases were included in this prospective study. The levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgM, and IgG subtypes were measured using a magnetic color-bead-based multiplex assay. <jats:italic>Results</jats:italic>. The concentrations of IgA, IgM, and total antibodies in the DR group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mo>&lt;</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.001</mml:mn></mml:math>), but there was no significant difference in the 4 IgG subtypes between the two groups after Bonferroni correction. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed low negative correlations between levels of antibodies (IgA, IgM) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"><mml:mi>r</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.443</mml:mn></mml:math>, <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M3"><mml:mi>r</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.377</mml:mn></mml:math>, respectively, both <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4"><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mo>&lt;</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.05</mml:mn></mml:math>). Furthermore, multiple linear regression analysis yielded three equations to predict the concentrations of IgA, IgM, and total antibodies in the vitreous humor according to eGFR and other clinical variables (<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M5"><mml:mi>r</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.542</mml:mn></mml:math>, <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M6"><mml:mi>r</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.461</mml:mn></mml:math>, and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M7"><mml:mi>r</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.312</mml:mn></mml:math>, respectively, all <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M8"><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mo>&lt;</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.05</mml:mn></mml:math>). <jats:italic>Conclusion</jats:italic>. Increased levels of IgA, IgM, and total antibodies produced by B cells were observed in the vitreous humor of T2DM patients with DR. There were low negative correlations between levels of antibodies (IgA, IgM) and eGFR.</jats:p>

Correlations Between Different Angiogenic and Inflammatory Factors in Vitreous Fluid of Eyes With Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

“…These results suggested that kidney damage tended to be more severe in patients with higher levels of angiogenesis and inflammation in the eye. There are substantial evidences supporting the association between DR and diabetic nephropathy (DN) (30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35): (1) both DR and DN are characterized by diabetic microangiopathy; (2) there are common risk factors for the occurrence and progression of DR and DN; (3) the severity of DR is correlated with the degree of kidney damage; (4) multiple pathways have been considered to be involved in the development and progression of both DR and DN. On the one hand, elevated sCr and BUN and reduced eGFR in our study reflected microvascular damage of the kidney in the PDR patients.…”

Efficacy and Safety of Subthreshold Micropulse Yellow Laser for Persistent Diabetic Macular Edema After Vitrectomy: A Pilot Study

“…Recently, it has been shown that B cell activation is involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy ( Liu et al, 2020 ) and RPE cells can inhibit B cell activation ( Sugita et al, 2010 ). Therefore, it could be possible that subthreshold micropulse laser could also activate RPE cells to suppress B cell activation.…”