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Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Optimization of the Retinal Vein Occlusion Mouse Model to Limit Variability
Published on: August 6, 2021
ENDOTHELIN-1 AS A RISK FACTOR IN RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION
Wolfgang List1, Martin Weger1, Silke Pinter-Hausberger1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Purpose:
Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) risk factors largely coincide with cardiovascular risk factors. Endothelin-1 (ET-1), the most potent vasoconstrictor with proinflammatory properties, is a known cardiovascular risk factor. In this study, we explore the role of serum ET-1 as a potential risk factor for RVO.
Methods:
Endothelin-1 serum levels were measured in patients with RVO and control subjects. Samples were measured using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative determination of human big endothelin-1 (Biomedica Group, Austria).
Results:
The study consisted of 147 RVO patients and 150 control subjects. Median serum ET-1 was significantly higher in RVO patients (0.26 pmol/L; range, 0.19-0.37 pmol/L) compared with control subjects (0.10 pmol/L; range, 0.05-0.22 pmol/L) (P < 0.0001) independent of the occlusion site. The difference remained significant after adjusting for arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, history of stroke, history of myocardial infarction, history of venous thromboembolism, glomerular filtration rate, and c-reactive protein.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, our results suggest that ET-1 is a potential risk factor for all types of RVO.
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