We determined whether there is an association between complement factor H (CFH), high-temperature requirement A-1 (HTRA1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) genotypes and the response to treatment with a single intravitreous injection of bevacizumab for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Eighty-three patients with exudative AMD treated by bevacizumab injection were genotyped for three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs800292, rs1061170, rs1410996) in the CFH gene, a rs11200638-SNP in the HTRA1 gene, three SNPs (rs699947, rs1570360, rs2010963) in the VEGF gene, and four SNPs (rs12150053, rs12948385, rs9913583, rs1136287) in the PEDF gene using a TaqMan assay. The CT genotype (heterozygous) of CFH-rs1061170 was more frequently represented in nonresponders in vision than TT genotypes (nonrisk allele homozygous) at the time points of 1 and 3 months, while there was no CC genotype (risk allele homozygous) in our study cohort (p = 7.66 × 10(-3), 7.83 × 10(-3), respectively). VEGF-rs699947 was also associated with vision changes at 1 month and PEDF-rs1136287 at 3 months (p = 5.11 × 10(-3), 2.05 × 10(-2), respectively). These variants may be utilized for genetic biomarkers to estimate visual outcomes in the response to intravitreal bevacizumab treatment for AMD.
Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; Bevacizumab; Complement factor H; Genetic biomarker; High-temperature requirement A-1; Pigment epithelium-derived factor; Vascular endothelial growth factor.