Search

Purpose: To monitor the intraocular proangiogenic and profibrotic cytokine profiles within 7 days after intravitreous injection of conbercept (IVC) for patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Methods: This prospective, randomized controlled, consecutive, comparative study included 157 eyes with PDR. Participant eyes underwent sham IVC or IVC and subsequent vitrectomy at days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 postinjection. The intraocular cytokines profiles were measured using beaded assay methods. Results: After IVC, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐A level in PDR vitreous decreased rapidly by approximately 10 times at day 2 (p = 0.00001) and kept at a low level at days 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (p < 0.001, each compared with IVC‐sham group). Similar tendency of the change in VEGF‐A was observed in aqueous humour. The level of placenta growth factor (PIGF) in aqueous humour decreased 2 days after IVC whereas returned to baseline level after 5 days. The vitreous profibrotic cytokines, tissue growth factor (TGF)‐β1, TGF‐β2, TGF‐β3 and connective tissue growth factor did not increase after IVC in each group. Conclusion: We observed a remarkable and rapid decrease in intraocular VEGF‐A, temporal decrease in PIGF from day 2 to day 4, increase in VEGF‐C and VEGF‐D from day 2 onwards, but no profibrotic switch in PDR eyes after IVC. The findings might suggest that ideal vitrectomy timing might be around 3 days after IVC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), one of the most common microangiopathic complications in diabetes, causes severe visual damage among working-age populations. Retinal vascular endothelial cells, the key cell type in DR pathogenesis, are responsible for abnormal retinal angiogenesis in advanced stages of DR. The roles of exosomes in DR have been largely unknown. In this study, we report the first evidence that exosomes derived from the vitreous humor of patients with proliferative DR (PDR-exo) promote proliferation, migration, and tube formation of human retinal vascular endothelial cells (HRVECs). We identified long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) LOC100132249 enrichment in PDR-exo via high-throughput sequencing. This lncRNA, also mainly derived from HRVECs, promoted angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, LOC100132249 acted as a competing endogenous sponge of miRNA-199a-5p (miR-199a-5p), thus regulating the endothelial-mesenchymal transition promoter SNAI1 via activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and ultimately resulting in endothelial dysfunction. In conclusion, our findings underscored the pathogenic role of endothelial-derived exosomes via the LOC100132249/miR-199a-5p/SNAI1 axis in DR angiogenesis and may shed light on new therapeutic strategies for future treatment of DR., Article Highlights: This study provides the first evidence that exosomes derived from vitreous humor from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy participate in angiogenesis. The findings demonstrate an unreported long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), LOC100132249, by exosomal sequencing of vitreous humor. The newly found lncRNA LOC100132249, mainly derived from endothelial cells, promotes angiogenesis via an miRNA-199a-5p/SNAI1/Wnt/β-catenin axis in a pro-endothelial-mesenchymal transition manner., (© 2023 by the American Diabetes Association.)

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of a modified perfluorocarbon liquid-assisted inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap technique with the standard ILM peeling for the treatment of macular hole retinal detachment in highly myopic eyes., Methods: This was a retrospective, consecutive, nonrandomized comparative study. Forty-two macular hole retinal detachment eyes of 42 patients were included into either a perfluorocarbon liquid-assisted inverted ILM flap technique group (n = 22, inverted group) or standard ILM removal group (n = 20, peeling group). Outcomes measured were macular hole closure, retinal reattachment, and best-corrected visual acuity at least 6 months after surgery., Results: Macular hole closure was achieved in 20 eyes (90.9%) in the inverted group and in eight eyes (40%) in the peeling group (P < 0.01). Reattachment rates were 100% in the inverted group and 95% in the peeling group (P = 0.476). The mean best-corrected visual acuity improvement from baseline was 27.4 ± 19.9 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters in the inverted group while the best-corrected visual acuity improvement was 13.6 ± 22.5 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters in the peeling group (P = 0.044)., Conclusion: The perfluorocarbon liquid-assisted inverted ILM flap technique was effective in sealing the macular hole, reattaching retina, and improving visual function postoperatively in highly myopic macular hole retinal detachment.