Foredragsholder / Presenter

Navn / Name: Gunnel Hellgren

Institution: The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg Univeristy, Institute for Clinical Sciences

Afdeling / Department : Department of Pediatrics

E-mail: gunnel.hellgren@vgregion.se

Medforfattere / Co-authors:

Navn / Name: Eva Engström

Institution: The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg Univeristy, Institute for Clinical Sciences

Afdeling / Department: Department of Pediatrics

Navn / Name: Chatarina Löfqvist

Institution: The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg Univeristy, Institute for Physiology and Neurosciences

Afdeling / Department: Deparment of Physiology

Navn / Name: Aimon Niklasson

Institution: Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg Univeristy, Institute for Clinical Sciences

Afdeling / Department: Deparment of Pediatrics

Navn / Name: Bo Jakobsson

Institution: Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg Univeristy, Institute for Clinical Sciences

Afdeling / Department: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Navn / Name: Ann Hellström

Institution: The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg Univeristy, Institute for Physiology and Neurosciences

Afdeling / Department: Department of Clinical Neurosciences

ABSTRACT

Infants who develop proliferative ROP have decreased serum levels of the growth factor TGF- β and the neurotrophic factor BDNF two weeks after birth

Vision impairment in ROP is to large extent dependent on vessel loss in the retina. In addition to vessel loss, loss of neurons and photoreceptors are major but unexplored components of ROP. It is known that normal retinal vascularization is dependent on several factors e.g. the interplay between and optimal levels of VEGF and IGF-I expression, but there are most likely several other factors of importance for the development of this disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate if we could identify specific factors that are associated with ROP and by that elucidate the relationship between postnatal inflammation and the risk for ROP development. At least two blood samples collected between 0 and 14 days after birth were analyzed from 36 children born between gestational age 24 and 30 weeks. Serum levels of 27 cytokines, growth factors and neurotrophic factors were analyzed by a multiplex luminex ELISA method.

We found that children that developed proliferative ROP (ROP stage 3-4) had significant lower serum levels of transforming growth factor beta ( TGF-β) (p=0.042)and brain-derived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF) (p=0.046) at 10-14 days after birth than children with no or minimal ROP (ROP stage 0-1).

The importance of TGF-β for vessel survival in ROP has been demonstrated in an animal model, but to our knowledge this has not been earlier demonstrated in humans. The finding that BDNF levels are decreased in serum from children that develop proliferative ROP is interesting with respect to the role of BDNF in angiogenesis and its capacity to protect retina neurons from degeneration.