Aqueous humor and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha in clinical uveitis.

Objective: To study the local and systemic behavior of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in patients with active uveitis. Methods: TNF-α levels were measured in aqueous humor and peripheral blood samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from 23 patients with uveitis and 16 control patients who had been operated on for uncomplicated cataracts. Results: Aqueous humor and sera of patients with uveitis showed higher levels of TNF-α than those of controls (p Conclusions: TNF-α is a cytokine that participates actively in the pathogenesis of clinical uveitis. Our data emphasize the greater systemic than local participation of TNF-α. Finally, an elevated serum TNF-α seems to be associated with a recurrent pattern of uveitis.