Correlation between aqueous humour cytokine and imaging biomarker in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion-Macular Edema

This study aims to examine the relationship between the concentrations of different aqueous humour cytokine and the Central retinal thickness (CRT), the area of the Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and the vascular density of superficial capillary plexus (SCP-VD) in patients with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion-Macular Edema (CRVO-ME) through a prospective clinical investigation.

A total of 20 cases with 20 eyes were included from Linyi Peoples Hospital. OCT and OCTA were employed to examine a 6 mm × 6 mm region in the macula, acquiring CRT, FAZ area, and SCP-VD data. Aqueous humor samples were collected to measure its Interleukin-6(IL-6),Interleukin-8 (IL-8),Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM), Placental growth factor (PGF), and Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) level. The correlation between these values of CRT, FAZ area, and SCP-VD in the affected eye were analyzed using statistical Pearson methods.

The CRT of the affected eye in CRVO-ME patients was (572.80 ± 186.57) μm; the SCP-VD was (39.73 ± 1.56) %; and the FAZ area was (0.45 ± 0.06) mm². The concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, VEGF, VCAM, PGF, and MCP-1 in CRVO-ME patients were (151.16 ± 88.61), (38.63 ± 22.29), (107.72 ± 96.76), (2177.02 ± 2357.69), (76.53 ± 29.48), and (617.69 ± 205.87) pg/ml, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that CRT was significantly positively correlated with the IL-6 and VEGF concentrations (r = 0.450,0.593, p < 0.05); FAZ area was significantly positively correlated with VEGF (r = 0.489, p < 0.05); and SCP-VD was significantly negatively correlated with IL-6 (r = -0.462, p < 0.05).

The concentration of intraocular cytokines exhibited a substantial correlation with the macular structure of the macula and the extent of microvascular damage surrounding the macula.