Vitreous fluid levels of β-amyloid(1-42) and tau in patients with retinal diseases

A decrease in beta-amyloid(1-42) (A beta 42) and an increase in tau in the cerebrospinal fluid are reported to be characteristic phenomena in Alzheimer's disease patients. To test the idea that A 42 and tau contribute to the development of retinal diseases, we measured A beta 42 and tau concentrations in the vitreous fluid from patients with macular hole (n = 13), diabetic retinopathy (n = 15), or glaucoma concurrent with other ocular diseases (n = 8). Methods: Vitreous samples were collected from patients who underwent vitrectomy., and sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to determine the concentrations of A beta 42 and tau. Results: By comparison with the levels in the control macular-hole patients (33.9 +/- 7.1 pg/ml for A beta 42; 3.3 +/- 3.2pg/ml for tau), there was a significant decrease in the A beta 42 level and a significant increase in the tau level in patients with diabetic retinopathy (1.8 +/- 1.9pg/ml for A beta 42, P 0.002; 153.7 +/- 71.6 pg/ml for tau, P 0.041) or glaucoma concurrent with other ocular diseases (2.8 +/- 1.8 pg/ml for A beta 42, P = 0.006; 113.6 +/- 43.1 pg/ml for tau, P = 0.023). Conclusions: Our findings indicate the possibility of a role for A beta 42 and tau in the pathogenesis of some retinal diseases. (c) Japanese Ophthalmological Society 2005.