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Plasma Level of Apelin as a Promising Factor for Retinopathy of Prematurity
Jing Feng1,2, Ge Liang2, Weiping Gao2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Insights
Elevated plasma apelin levels may indicate retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants. Apelin shows promise as a screening factor for ROP, outperforming other biomarkers.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Ophthalmology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant cause of visual impairment in preterm infants.
- Identifying reliable biomarkers for ROP is crucial for early detection and intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between plasma apelin levels and other risk factors with ROP in preterm infants.
- To evaluate the diagnostic potential of plasma apelin in ROP screening.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 100 preterm infants (50 with ROP, 50 without).
- Measured plasma concentrations of apelin, VEGF, EPO, and IGF-1 using ELISA.
- Analyzed gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) as risk factors.
Main Results:
- Infants with ROP had significantly lower birth weight and GA.
- Lower levels of VEGF, EPO, and IGF-1 were observed in infants with ROP.
- Higher plasma apelin levels were significantly associated with ROP (p < 0.001), demonstrating 72% sensitivity at a cut-off of 21.08 pg/mL.
- Apelin was the sole significant predictor of ROP in multivariable analysis (OR = 16).
- The regression model including apelin showed superior predictive performance (AUC = 0.90) compared to GA and BW alone (AUC = 0.67).
Conclusions:
- Plasma apelin levels are significantly elevated in preterm infants with ROP.
- Apelin demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity, making it a promising biomarker for ROP screening.
- Incorporating apelin into screening criteria could improve early detection of ROP.
Introduction:
The aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of plasma levels of apelin and other risk factors in infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Methods:
This was a single-center cross-sectional study. Fifty preterm infants with ROP and 50 preterm infants without ROP were enrolled. The analysis included evaluation of gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW), and measurement of plasma concentrations of apelin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), erythropoietin (EPO), and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results:
The mean BW and GA of babies with ROP were considerably lower than those without ROP (p < 0.001, p = 0.003, respectively). Plasma levels of VEGF, EPO, and IGF-1 were all lower in babies with ROP (all p < 0.001), while plasma apelin levels were greater (p < 0.001). We compared the sensitivity and selected the best cut-offs while keeping the specificity constant (80.0%). Among all the criteria, plasma apelin levels had the best sensitivity (72%), with the cut-off of 21.08 pg/mL. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that the plasma level of apelin was the only parameter associated with ROP (p = 0.02, OR = 16, 95% CI: 1.54-166.53). The area under the curve of the multivariable regression model that comprised GA, BW alone was 0.67, while that of the model that included apelin was 0.90.
Conclusions:
Plasma apelin level demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity with regard to the association of ROP; the inclusion of apelin may be a promising factor to include in screening criteria.
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