DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AQUEOUS HUMOR AND SERUM CONCENTRATIONS OF BDNF AND PPARG GENETIC VARIANTS IN GLAUCOMA PATIENTS

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is essential for neuronal development, differentiation and survival, and aberrant BDNF expression in retina is associated with glaucoma. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) in retinal pigment epithelium plays a significant role in ocular pathophysiology. PPARG c.34C>G (rs1801282) (p.Pro12Ala) modulates transcriptional activity. This study aimed to determine whether BDNF in aqueous humor and serum could be used as a biomarker for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and to examine differences between PPARG genotype and BDNF concentrations in aqueous humor and serum in POAG patients. The study included 140 POAG patients and 87 non-glaucoma controls. BDNF concentrations were measured by ELISA methods and PPARG genotype was determined by PCR-RFLP. BDNF concentrations in aqueous humor were significantly higher in POAG patients compared to controls (p=0.001). A significant difference in aqueous humor BDNF concentration was observed between early and moderate (p=0.008) and early and advanced stages of POAG (p=0.022). There was no significant difference between BDNF concentration in aqueous humor and PPARG genotype in POAG patients (p=0.184). BDNF in aqueous humor may serve as a dynamic biomarker for POAG. No significant differences were found between PPARG genotypes and BDNF concentrations.