[Lactoferrin and transferrin--iron-binding proteins in physiological and pathological vitreous bodies]

Having demonstrated transferrin (TF) and the TF receptor in periretinal membranes, we now present results of quantitative studies of TF and lactoferrin (LF), another protein with iron-binding properties. Normal human vitreous contains 74 +/- 7 mg/l TF, but less than 50 micrograms/l LF (ELISA). The TF levels determined in vitreous aspirates from patients with proliferative intraocular diseases [traumatic proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), idiopathic PVR, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)] were higher. A statistically significant difference between the levels in the vitreous in the three types of proliferative intraocular disease and in physiological vitreous was not observed. In contrary to TF, LF could not be labeled in surgically obtained membrane specimens using immunochemistry. Apparently LF does not have the same importance for cell proliferation in proliferative intraocular diseases as is suggested for TF.