Relationship Between Axial Length And Levels Of Tgf-Beta In The Aqueous Humor And Plasma Of Myopic Patients

Purpose. To investigate the levels of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in human aqueous humor (AH) and plasma (PL) of patients with myopia, and verify whether there is an association between these levels and their association with axial length (AL). Methods. Thirty-eight myopic patients who received intraocular collamer lens (ICL) implantation were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Patients were divided into three groups based on AL with cut-off points of 26 and 28 mm. AH and PL samples were obtained during ICL implantation surgery. The levels of TGF-beta 1, TGF-beta 2, and TGF-beta 3 in the AH and PL samples were measured using Luminex xMAP Technology kits (Milliplex xMAP kits). The protein levels of TGF-beta s in both AH and PL samples and their relationships with AL were analyzed. Results. In all, 38 patients (59 eyes) were enrolled and divided into the three groups: group A contained 7 people (10 eyes), group B contained 22 people (37 eyes), and group C contained 9 people (12 eyes). In the AH group, we detected TGF-beta 1 (P-50: 19.97 pg/mL), TGF-beta 2 (2446.00 pg/mL), and TGF-beta 3 (26.33 pg/mL); in PL, these concentrations were 8984.00, 523.44, and 210.47 pg/mL, respectively. The levels of TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 3 in AH were positively associated with AL. None of the three isoforms in PL were related to those in AH or to AL. Conclusions. The levels of TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 3 in AH were more strongly associated with the severity of myopia than the types of TGF-beta in PL.