Immune Mediators Profiles in the Aqueous Humor of Patients with Simple Diabetic Retinopathy

Various immune mediators identified to date are associated with the development of advanced forms of diabetic retinopathy (DR), such as proliferative DR and diabetic macular edema, although the exact pathophysiological mechanisms of early stages of DR such as simple DR remain unclear. We determined the immune mediator profile in the aqueous humor of eyes with simple DR. Fifteen eyes of fifteen patients with simple DR were studied. Twenty-two eyes of twenty-two patients with cataracts and no DR served as controls. Undiluted aqueous humor samples were collected, and a cytometric bead array was used to determine the aqueous humor concentrations of 32 immune mediators comprising 13 interleukins (IL), interferon-γ, interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), monokine induced by interferon-γ, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), Fas ligand, granzyme A, granzyme B, interferon-inducible T-cell alpha chemoattractant (ITAC), fractalkine, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiogenin, tumor necrosis factor-α, and CD40 ligand. Among the 32 immune mediators, 10 immune mediators, including bFGF, CD40 ligand, fractalkine, G-CSF, IL-6, IL-8, MIP-α, MIP-1β, and VEGF, showed significantly higher aqueous humor concentrations and the Fas ligand had significantly lower concentration (p < 0.05) in eyes with simple DR compared with control eyes. Of these 10 cytokines with significant concentration alteration, protein–protein interaction analysis revealed that 8 established an intricate interaction network. Various immune mediators may contribute to the pathogenesis of simple DR. Attention should be given to the concentrations of immune mediators in ocular fluids even in simple DR. Large-scale studies are warranted to assess whether altered aqueous humor concentrations of these 10 immune mediators are associated with an increased risk of progression to advanced stages of DR.