ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Ophthalmol.
Sec. Retina
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1653404
This article is part of the Research TopicGlobal Perspectives on Genetic Diagnosis and Treatments for Inherited Retinal DiseasesView all 5 articles
Ocular and Systemic Immune Profiles Associated with Cystoid Macular Edema in Retinitis Pigmentosa
Provisionally accepted
YAN TAO
Huanyu ZhaoSakurako ShimokawaMasatoshi FukushimaKohta FujiwaraTakahiro HisaiKaho YamamotoAyako Okita
Koh-Hei Sonoda
Yusuke Murakami*- Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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Purpose: To investigate the local and systemic inflammatory profiles associated with cystoid macular edema (CME) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Patients and Methods: Paired aqueous humor and serum samples were collected at the time of cataract surgery from 37 eyes of 37 patients with typical RP, including 29 without CME and 8 with CME. The concentrations of cytokines and chemokines were measured using a multiplexed immunoassay (Q-Plex). Group comparisons were conducted to assess differences in inflammatory molecule levels between the RP patients with and without CME. Correlations among intraocular parameters, systemic inflammatory molecules, and CME status were analyzed. Results: Compared to the RP patients without CME, those with CME showed significantly increased aqueous levels of IL-23 (p=0.002), I-309 (p=0.039), and GROα (p=0.042). A multiple factor analysis further supported a potential association between CME formation and an IL-23-related inflammatory network characterized by aqueous IL-23, IL-8, GROα, Eotaxin, I-309, serum IL-23, and IFN-γ. Conclusion: These findings suggest that both intraocular and systemic immune activation may play a role in the development of CME in patients with RP. Specifically, IL-23-driven inflammation may be associated with macular fluid accumulation. Further longitudinal studies in larger cohorts are necessary to elucidate these relationships and explore their clinical implications.删除了: , along with a significantly higher peripheral lymphocyte 26 percentage (%LYMPH, p=0.031) and lymphocyte-to-neutrophil ratio 27
Keywords: Retinitis Pigmentosa, Cystoid macular edema, Neuroinflammation, Cytokines, Chemokines
Received: 25 Jun 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 TAO, Zhao, Shimokawa, Fukushima, Fujiwara, Hisai, Yamamoto, Okita, Sonoda and Murakami. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yusuke Murakami, Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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