Apelin-13: A Promising Biomarker for Age-Related Macular Degeneration?

PURPOSE To investigate the value of serum apelin-13 levels in age-related macular degeneration patients. METHODS Patients with dry-type AMD, treatment-naive neovascular-type AMD and the healthy control group were included in this study. Patients diagnoses were confirmed with detailed fundus examination, optical cohorence tomography and fundus flourescein angiography findings. Central foveal thickness and subfoveal choroidal thickness were evaluated. Both serum apelin-13 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were measured by competitive-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) principle. RESULTS A total of 84 patients, including 24 patients in the dry-type AMD group (group 1), 27 patients in the neovascular-type AMD (group 2) group and 33 in the control group (group 3) were included in the study. Mean BCVA were 76±4,5, 48,4±16,3, 83,4±3,09 ETDRS letters in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Values of serum VEGF were 44.11±26.14 pg/mL, 56.53±53.77 pg/mL and 61.47±41.62 pg/mL in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p=0.553, p=0.286, p=0.896, respectively). Values of serum apelin-13 were 586.47±167.56 pg/mL, 622.18±324.52 pg/mL, 379. 31±171.96 pg/mL in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p=0.847, p=0.04, p≤0.001, respectively). There was a negative correlation between the value of serum apelin and visual acuity and choroid thickness. CONCLUSION Serum apelin-13 were higher in both dry-type AMD patients and neovascular AMD patients compared to the control group. Further studies are needed.