Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in proliferative vitreoretinal disorders

To investigate whether the chemokines monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) are involved in the pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinal disorders and to study their possible interaction with IL-6.

In a prospective study of 125 consecutive patients (125 eyes), vitreous and paired serum samples were obtained and were assayed for MCP-1 and IL-8. Levels of IL-6 were determined by proliferation of the IL-6-dependent hybridoma cell line 7TD1.

Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 was detected in 13 (48%) of 27 vitreous samples from patients with retinal detachment, in five (63%) of eight samples from patients with macular pucker, in 31 (72%) of 43 samples from patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and in 32 (76%) of 42 samples from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, but not in samples from five patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane. There was a significant (P = .049) correlation between the incidence of MCP-1 detection in retinal detachment, macular pucker, and proliferative vitreoretinopathy groups and the severity of proliferation. Interleukin-8 was detected in two vitreous samples from eyes with retinal detachment, in two samples from eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and in three samples from eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels in the vitreous samples were positively correlated with IL-6 levels (r = .31, P = .01). Interleukin-6 levels were significantly (P = .0097) greater in vitreous samples with than without detectable levels of MCP-1.

Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 is present in a substantial percent of vitreous samples from eyes with proliferative vitreoretinal disorders and may help in stimulating the infiltration of monocytes and macrophages into eyes with these disorders.