未熟児網膜症のバイオマーカーとしての眼表面炎症性サイトカイン
1Department of Ophthalmology, Shanxi Children's Hospital, Shanxi Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, NO.13, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China. dun31188@yeah.net.
Background:
ROP is a leading cause of childhood blindness, with inflammation influencing its progression. Tear fluid serves as a non-invasive medium for assessing biomarkers.
Aim:
This study examines key inflammatory cytokines in tear fluid to identify biomarkers for ROP progression and severity.
Methods:
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.
Results:
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.
Conclusion:
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.
