VEGF-A levels in RP and non-RP eyes

Sufferers of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) have a lower concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in the aqueous humour than non-sufferers, according to results of a study published in the August 2008 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.

David Salom of the Department of Ophthalmology, University General Hospital of Valencia, Valencia, Spain and colleagues conducted a prospective, comparative control study, assessing the levels of VEGF-A in the aqueous humour of RP patients (n=16) through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and comparing them to the levels of VEGF-A in the aqueous humour of otherwise healthy subjects preparing to undergo cataract surgery (n=16).

RP eyes had a mean VEGF-A level of 94.9±99.8 pg/mL; the control group had a mean VEGF-A level of 336.5±116.8 pg/mL.

The researchers observed that the VEGF-A level in non-RP eyes was significantly higher than in RP eyes, and concluded that the lower levels of VEGF-A could be a causative factor in the pathogenesis of RP.