Petra P. Larsen MD , Catherine Féart PhD , Jean-Paul Pais de Barros PhD , Laure Gayraud MSc , Marie-Noëlle Delyfer MD, PhD , Jean-François Korobelnik MD , Cédric Schweitzer MD, PhD , Cécile Delcourt PhD
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-type endotoxins are naturally found in the gut microbiota and there is emerging evidence linking gut microbiota and neuroinflammation leading to retinal neurodegeneration. Thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) is a biomarker of retinal neurodegeneration, and a hallmark of glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. We assessed the association of a blood biomarker of LPS with peripapillary RNFL thickness (RNFLT) and its longitudinal evolution up to 11 years.
Design
The Alienor study is a single center prospective population-based cohort study.
Subjects
The studied sample of this study includes 1062 eyes of 548 participants receiving ≥1 gradable RNFL measurement.
Methods
Plasma esterified 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OH FAs) were measured as a proxy of LPS burden. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was acquired using spectral-domain OCT imaging every 2 years from 2009 to 2020 (up to 5 visits).
Main Outcome Measures
Associations of plasma esterified 3-OH FAs with RNFLT were assessed using linear mixed models.
Results
Mean age of the included 548 participants was 82.4 ± 4.3 years and 62.6% were women. Higher plasma esterified 3-OH FAs was significantly associated with thinner RNFLT at baseline (coefficient beta = −1.42 microns for 1 standard deviation-increase in 3-OH FAs, 95% confidence interval [−2.56; −0.28], P = 0.02). This association remained stable after multivariate adjustment for potential confounders. No statistically significant association was found between 3-OH FAs and longitudinal RNFLT change.
Conclusions
Higher plasma esterified 3-OH FAs were associated with thinner RNFLT at baseline, indicating an involvement of LPS in the early processes of optic nerve neurodegeneration and highlighting the potential importance of the human microbiota in preserving retinal health.
Financial Disclosure(s)
Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.