Plasma levels of amyloid beta and other proinflammatory mediators in patients with age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the plasma levels of amyloid beta (Aβ) and select inflammatory mediators in patients with various stages of AMD compared to that of age-matched controls, and discern a relationship to disease severity. Methods: Plasma samples were obtained from AMD subjects at various stages of disease—early (drusen only), geographic atrophy (GA), neovascular AMD (CNV)—and from controls of similar age without AMD. Samples were analyzed using a commercially available ELISA kit (sixteen cytokines) or LC/MS/MS (Aβ isotypes). Descriptive statistics were compiled on all analytes. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to compare each analyte across AMD groups while adjusting for sex..