Freezing adversely affects measurement of vascular endothelial growth factor levels in human aqueous samples

Sankarathi Balaiya Sandeep Grover Ravi K Murthy Kakarla V ChalamDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL, USAPurpose: Aqueous levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can be a surrogate marker of intraocular VEGF activity and a measure of efficacy of anti-VEGF treatment in a variety of vasoproliferative retinal disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and central retinal vein occlusion. Measurement of the VEGF level may be adversely affected by premeasurement variables, such as freezing and delay, in sample analysis. We aim to evaluate the effect of storage and delayed measurement of human aqueous VEGF levels in these conditions.Methods: Aqueous samples collected from patients receiving intravitreal injection of bevacizumab for various retinal diseases were divided into two groups. In Group 1, the VEGF levels were analyzed on the same day; in Group 2, the VEGF levels were analyzed after 21 days of freezer storage (-80°C) using immunobead assay. Statistical comparison using a paired t-test was performed between the two groups.Results: Thirty-one aqueous humor samples were collected, and the VEGF concentration for fresh samples was 7.8 ± 5.9 pg/mL (mean ± SD) compared to 6.5 ± 6.0 pg/mL in frozen samples, resulting in a statistically significant difference (P = 0.03).Conclusions: Accurate measurement of the VEGF level is a vital component of clinical decision-making. Delayed analysis of VEGF levels in aqueous samples may result in significant sample degradation and lower levels of measured VEGF.Keywords: VEGF level, aqueous humor, immunobead assay, VEGF storag

Osmolarity and spectrophotometric property of brilliant blue green define the degree of toxicity on retinal pigment epithelial cells exposed to surgical endoilluminator

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of varying concentrations of brilliant blue green (BBG) and their different biochemical characteristics on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells under xenon light source illumination at varying distances to identify safe parameters for intraoperative use. METHODS: Human retinal RPE cells (ARPE-19) were exposed to two concentrations (0.25 and 0.50 mg/mL) of BBG and illuminated with a xenon surgical illuminator at varying distances (10 and 25 mm), intensity levels, and time intervals (1, 5, and 15 minutes). Additionally, the effect of osmolarity was examined by diluting BBG in different concentrations of glucose. Cytotoxicity of BBG and osmolarity effects on cell viability were evaluated using a WST-1 assay. Light absorption and emission characteristic of BBG in different solvents were measured using a plate reader at different wavelengths. Lastly, the activity of caspase-3 was also studied. RESULTS: Cell viability of ARPE-19 cells was 77.4%±12.7%, 78.7%±17.0%, and 65.0%±19.7% at 1, 5, and 15 minutes to exposure of high illumination xenon light at 10 mm (P<0.05) compared to controls. At both distances of illumination (10 and 25 mm), similar cell viabilities were seen between 1 and 5 minutes of exposure. However, there was a decline in viability when the illumination was carried out to 15 minutes in all groups (P<0.05). There was no significant reduction in cell viability in presence or absence of xenon light in different osmolar solutions concentrations of glucose (P>0.05). Maximal light absorption of BBG was noted between 540 and 680 nm. Activated caspase-3 level was not significant in both the concentrations of BBG (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that BBG at 0.25 mg/mL during vitreoretinal surgery is safe and not toxic to RPE cells up to 5 minutes under focal high illumination (10 mm) and up to 15 minutes under medium diffuse illumination (25 mm). BBG was safe to be mixed with isotonic glucose solution at the concentration range of 2.5%–10%, regardless of the illumination status

Characterization of Vitreous and Aqueous Proteome in Humans With Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy and Its Clinical Correlation

Aims: Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is associated with microvascular complications that cause biochemical changes in the human retina and alter the proteome of vitreous humor and aqueous humor (AH). Methods: Human vitreous humor and AH of PDR subjects were collected. Subjects who had surgery for epiretinal membrane or macular hole served as controls. Protein profiles were obtained and analyzed after running the samples on a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. Results: In vitreous humor, 16 unique proteins were noted in PDR patients, but not in controls. Those were associated mainly with coagulation, complement, and kallikrein-kinin systems. Under coagulation, fibrinogen and prothrombin proteins were more evident and may emphasize the importance of angiogenesis in the development of PDR. Vitreous proteins showed replicative presence in AH too. As for AH samples, we detected 10 proteins found in PDR patients, which were related to transport, coagulation, and inflammatory responses. Conclusions: We found 57 proteins in human vitreous and 39 proteins in AH. Identification of these proteins that are involved in various pathways will be helpful to understand diabetic retinopathy pathogenesis and to develop proteome as a biomarker for PDR. </jats:sec

Modified protocol for <it>in vivo</it> imaging of wild-type mouse retina with customized miniature spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) device

<p>Abstract</p> <p>This protocol outlines and evaluates a modified scanning procedure for a customized spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging apparatus within the wild-type C57Bl/6 mouse posterior segment. This modified protocol allows for the capture of a 50 degree field of view spanning 3 mm by 3 mm perimeter with the optic disc as the central point. By utilizing this scanning protocol a more reliable measurement of retinal thickness can be achieved outside the fluctuating region of the optic disc. This protocol, when applied to this high resolution device, enables non-invasive <it>in vivo</it> histological imaging and biometric assessment of the various layers of the rodent posterior segment within a 20 – 30 min procedural time-frame. This protocol could establish a standardized method for evaluating morphological changes, with this commercial SDOCT device, when assessing longitudinal disease pathophysiology and treatment response in mouse models for future vision science research.</p