Vitreous tumor necrosis factor-alpha level in patients with wet type of age-related macular degeneration

Aim of Study: The aim of the study was to compare the level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in vitreous samples of naïve wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients and normal individuals, in an attempt to evaluate its role in the disease development. Materials and Methods: A prospective case–controlled study was conducted on 50 eyes –25 naïve wet AMD eyes as “Cases” and 25 eyes without AMD as “Controls.” Vitreous samples were collected by manual aspiration using a 25G needle attached to a 3 ml syringe directed toward the mid-vitreous cavity. The samples were collected, frozen, and stored at − 20°C. The level of TNF-α was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results: Vitreous TNF-α level was higher in naive wet AMD patients (4.07 ± 0.93 [2.80–6.60] pg/ml; mean ± standard deviation [minimum–maximum]) than patients without AMD (3.54 ± 0.60 [2.60–5.00] pg/ml; P = 0.019). There was no significant difference in vitreous TNF-α level between different choroidal neovascularization subtypes among studied patients (P = 0.460). Conclusion: The levels of TNF-α were shown to be significantly higher in vitreous samples of patients with naïve wet AMD as compared to normal individuals. These results may shed light on the role of TNF-α in the pathogenesis of wet AMD.