Citocinas inflamatorias de la superficie ocular como biomarcadores de la retinopatía del prematuro

ROP is a leading cause of childhood blindness, with inflammation influencing its progression. Tear fluid serves as a non-invasive medium for assessing biomarkers.

This study examines key inflammatory cytokines in tear fluid to identify biomarkers for ROP progression and severity.

Eighty preterm infants were grouped by ROP severity (No, Mild, Moderate, Severe; n = 20 each). Tear fluid cytokine levels were measured via ELISA and compared using one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc tests.

The levels of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α were significantly different across ROP severity groups; higher concentrations in more severe stages of ROP/moderate and severe than those in no ROP and mild ROP. However, no significant differences were found among the groups regarding IL-10, IL-17, and IL-22. In pairwise comparisons, the levels of IL-1 and IL-6 in most of the ROP severity groups showed significant differences according to the Bonferroni post hoc analysis, while no significant differences were observed regarding IL-10, IL-17, and IL-22.

The study further reveals that increased levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α in tear fluid correlate with the severity of ROP. These findings suggest that tear fluid inflammatory cytokines may be regarded as potential biomarkers in the diagnosis and follow-up of ROP. This non-invasive approach presents a new opportunity for monitoring the disease process and assisting in clinical decisions. These observations need further confirmation and studies on their clinical application.