RANTES (CCL5) in Patients With Geographic Atrophy Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2023 Jan 3;12(1):19. doi: 10.1167/tvst.12.1.19.

Abstract

Purpose: A previous study from our research group showed significantly lower levels of RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Secreted) in patients with intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared to control patients with no AMD. The primary aim of this study was to assess levels of RANTES in a cohort of patients with a more advanced form of the disease, geographic atrophy (GA), in comparison with controls.

Methods: The study was conducted on a cohort of patients with GA recruited into a Colorado AMD registry. Cases and controls were defined with multimodal imaging. Plasma levels of the chemokine RANTES were measured using a multiplex assay. A nonparametric (rank-based) regression model was fit to RANTES with a sex by AMD category interaction.

Results: The plasma levels of RANTES were significantly higher in the control group in comparison to the GA AMD group (median [interquartile range]): 10,204 [5799-19,554] pg/mL vs. 5435 [3420-9177] pg/mL, respectively, P < 0.01). When moderated by sex, there was no statistical difference between the male and female GA AMD or the male and female controls.

Conclusions: We found lower level of RANTES in patients with GA AMD compared with controls. This finding is consistent with the findings from our previous intermediate AMD study. However, in contrast to the results of our previous research, when moderated by sex there was no statistical difference between male and female GA patients.

Translational relevance: The biomarker RANTES is significantly lower in GA AMD patients compared to controls.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers
  • Chemokine CCL5
  • Female
  • Fluorescein Angiography
  • Geographic Atrophy*
  • Humans
  • Macular Degeneration*
  • Male
  • Visual Acuity

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • CCL5 protein, human
  • Chemokine CCL5