Levels of Selected Aqueous Humor Mediators (IL-10, IL-17, CCL2, VEGF, FasL) in Diabetic Cataract

Causal associations between circulating inflammatory cytokines and blinding eye diseases: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis

Background

Previous studies have explored the associations between circulating inflammatory cytokines and blinding eye diseases, including glaucoma, cataract and macular degeneration. However, the causality of these associations remains controversial. This study employs a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study to investigate the causal relationships between 41 circulating inflammatory cytokines and these blinding eye diseases.

Methods

Summary data for glaucoma, cataract, macular degeneration and 41 circulating inflammatory cytokines were publicly available. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was employed as the main analysis method. Additionally, various sensitivity tests, including MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weight mode, Cochran's Q test, MR pleiotropy Residual Sum and Outlier test, and leave-one-out test, were conducted to evaluate sensitivity and stability of results.

Results

The IVW analysis identified six circulating inflammatory cytokines causally associated with the risk of blinding eye diseases: Monokine induced by interferon-gamma (MIG) for glaucoma, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), IL-6, IL-10, and platelet derived growth factor BB (PDGFbb) for cataract, and MIG and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) for macular degeneration. However, it is noteworthy that none of these associations remained significant after Bonferroni correction (p < 0.0004). Reverse MR analyses indicated that cataract may lead to a decrease in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels (OR: 3.326 × 10-04, 95% CI: 5.198 × 10-07 - 2.129 × 10-01, p = 0.0151).

Conclusion

This study highlights the potential roles of specific inflammatory cytokines in the development of glaucoma, cataract and macular degeneration. Moreover, it suggests that VEGF is likely to be involved in cataract development downstream. These findings offer insights for early prevention and novel therapeutic strategies for these blinding eye diseases.

IL-17 Affects the Progression, Metastasis, and Recurrence of Laryngeal Cancer via the Inhibition of Apoptosis through Activation of the PI3K/AKT/FAS/FASL Pathways

Background

Cytokines play important roles in the development and prognosis of laryngeal cancer (LC). Interleukin-17 (IL-17) from a distinct subset of CD4+ T cells may significantly induce cancer-elicited inflammation to prevent tumor immune surveillance.

Methods

The expression levels of IL-17 were examined among 60 patients with LC. Immunofluorescence colocalization experiments were performed to verify the localization of IL-17 and FAS/FASL in Hep-2 and Tu212 cells. The role of IL-17 was determined using siRNA techniques in the LC cell line.

Results

In the LC patients, cytokines were dysregulated in LC tissues compared with normal tissues. It was found that IL-17 was overexpressed in a cohort of 60 LC tumors paired with nontumor tissues. Moreover, high IL-17 expression was significantly associated with the advanced T category, the late clinical stage, differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and recurrence. In addition, the time course expression of FAS and FASL was observed after stimulation and treatment with the IL-17 stimulator. Finally, in vitro experiments demonstrated that IL-17 functioned as an oncogene by inhibiting the apoptosis of LC cells via the PI3K/AKT/FAS/FASL pathways.

Conclusions

In summary, these findings demonstrated for the first time the role of IL-17 as a tumor promoter and a prometastatic factor in LC and indicated that IL-17 may have an oncogenic role and serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in LC.

Concentrations of Selected Cytokines and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Aqueous Humor and Serum of Diabetic Patients

Purpose: To investigate the aqueous humor and serum levels of selected cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in diabetic patients, implicating their role in the pathogenesis of diabetic eye complications.Materials and methods:   Atotal of 65 patients (27 males and 38 females) who underwent cataract surgery were recruited into the study. The study group consisted of 30 cataract patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and this group was divided into two subgroups: 14 patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR group) and 16 patients without DR (NDR group). The control group consisted of 35 non-diabetic cataract subjects.Results: Patients in the DR group had significantly higher aqueous humor concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP-1) and VEGF. Likewise, serum concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, TNF-α and IFN-γ were significantly higher in the DR group as compared to the controls. Aqueous humor concentrations of IL-1β, IL-8, MCP-1 and VEGF were significantly higher in the DR group as compared with the NDR group.Conclusion: Our findings support the hypothesis that chronic inflammation and a disturbance of the immune system play important roles in the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract and DR.

Factors associated with the duration of action of dexamethasone intravitreal implants in diabetic macular edema patients

We designed this study to determine the association between the duration of action of intravitreal dexamethasone implants and aqueous humor biomarkers or optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings of diabetic macular edema (DME) patients. We measured the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, -8, -10, -17; placental growth factor; and vascular endothelial growth factor in the aqueous humor, and identified the number of hyperreflective foci (HF), grades of ellipsoid zone disruptions, and baseline central subfield thicknesses (CSTs) using OCT of patients with DME. The average duration of action of dexamethasone implants was 4.32 ± 1.18 months. In multivariate linear regression analyses, the duration of action was associated with aqueous IL-8 levels and the number of HF (β = -0.016, p = 0.037 and β = -0.073, p = 0.035, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the number of HF (>10) was significantly associated with a shorter duration (<4 months) of action (odds ratio: 17.17, p = 0.010). The duration of action of intravitreal dexamethasone implants in DME patients was associated with the level of aqueous IL-8 and the number of HF using OCT. Specifically, higher number of HF in the OCT was associated with a shorter duration of action.

Evaluation of the etiology of persistent iritis after cataract surgery

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate patients with persistent iritis after cataract surgery to determine its incidence and risk factors. Adjusting the management of patients at risk could allow for a more predictable post-operative course and outcome. A retrospective chart review was performed of patients who had post-operative iritis longer than 1 month after cataract surgery during a 2-year period at Storm Eye Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, South Carolina. Patient demographics and various pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative factors were analyzed for trends.

Results

Thirty-nine patients (49 eyes) met the inclusion criteria, and this group was compared to a control cohort of 40 patients (66 eyes) who did not have persistent iritis after cataract surgery. The overall incidence of post-operative iritis was 1.75%. In all patients with post-operative iritis lasting greater than 1 month, African American race and pupil expansion device use were statistically significant factors. After excluding patients with a history of ocular inflammation or known inflammatory or autoimmune diagnosis (1.20% incidence), there were still a significantly higher proportion of African Americans compared to the control group. When patients with post-operative iritis of less than 6 months in duration were additionally excluded, the incidence was 0.32%, and history of diabetes was statistically significant in addition to race.

Conclusions

Risk factors for persistent iritis after cataract surgery include being diabetic, of African American racial background, and pupil expansion device use. These patients can be better informed of the higher risk of prolonged inflammation in their post-operative course, and peri-operative management can be tailored accordingly.

Aqueous humor cytokine levels in patients with diabetic macular edema refractory to anti-VEGF treatment

PURPOSE

To determine aqueous cytokines association with response to intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection in diabetic macular edema (DME).

METHOD

We compared the concentrations of IL (interleukin)-1β, IL-2, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, placental growth factor (PlGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the aqueous humor of 64 naïve DME patients with those of 13 cataract patients. Factors associated with central subfield thickness (CST) in DME patients were identified. DME patients were then subgrouped in terms of responsiveness to three IVB injections; cytokine concentrations were compared, and factors associated with responsiveness were identified.

RESULTS

Levels of IL-2, IL-8, PlGF, and VEGF were significantly elevated in DME patients (p = 0.007, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.004 respectively). Regression analysis showed that the preoperative CST was associated with the preoperative best-corrected visual acuity and the aqueous IL-10 level (p < 0.001, p = 0.006, respectively). Of the 64 DME patients, 28 (43.75%) exhibited either CST < 300 μm or reduction in CST ≥ 50 μm after three consecutive IVB injections. On sub-group analysis, the mean IL-8 concentration was higher in the refractory group than in the responsive group, and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the IL-8 was the only factor associated with responsiveness (OR = 0.95, p = 0.017).

CONCLUSIONS

The IL-8 concentration in the aqueous humor was associated with responsiveness to IVB in DME patients.