Metabolomics analysis uncovers metabolic changes and remodeling of anti-VEGF therapy on macular edema

Anti-angiogenic therapy with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) is currently the first-line treatment for macular edema (ME), but the specific metabolic changes in the aqueous humor (AH) after intravitreal anti-VEGF injections remain poorly understood.

A total of 120 AH samples from 60 ME patients before and after anti-VEGF treatment were collected from the ophthalmology clinic and ward of the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis of the AH samples was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to identify metabolite differences before and after anti-VEGF treatment in patients with different ME etiologies.

Distinct metabolomic profiles were observed between pre- and post-treatment samples. A total of 145 significantly altered metabolites were identified after anti-VEGF treatment, with 84 upregulated metabolites related to carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, and 61 downregulated metabolites involved in amino acid metabolism. Both common and etiology-specific metabolic alterations were observed. In age-related macular degeneration (AMD)-ME, treatment-induced metabolic changes mainly involved amino acid metabolism, whereas in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO)-ME, lipid metabolism was primarily affected. Diabetic macular edema (DME) patients showed more complex metabolic alterations, involving amino acid, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.

Intravitreal anti-VEGF injections significantly alter AH metabolites in ME patients. These findings provide insight into underlying metabolic processes in ME pathogenesis and treatment efficacy.