Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related serum markers ET-1, IL-8 and TGF-ß2 are elevated in a Finnish wet age-related macular degeneration cohort.

PURPOSE: It has been hypothesized that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) may occur in the retinal pigment epithelium of advanced stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Various serum and plasma growth factors and inflammatory mediators have been linked to AMD. We were interested in finding out whether systemic levels of EMT-associated markers were altered in the serum of wet AMD patients. Serum biomarkers associated with the various pathological processes of AMD may present an avenue towards identifying and characterizing the birth mechanisms of wet AMD, its progression and severity, paving the way towards the application of precision medicine. METHODS: We chose to measure the serum levels of known biomarkers of EMT - EGF (epidermal growth factor), ET-1 (endothelin 1), IL-8 (interleukin 8), TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß2 (transforming growth factor-beta 1 and 2) and VEGF-A (vascular endothelial growth factor A) - using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We measured them from 71 Finnish wet AMD patients who were receiving intravitreal anti-VEGF-A injection treatments, as well as 64 age-adjusted controls. RESULTS: We found significantly elevated levels of ET-1, IL-8 and TGF-ß2 in the serums of wet AMD patients. CONCLUSIONS: ET-1, IL-8 and TGF-ß2 appear to be useful serum biomarkers in understanding active wet AMD. However, we cannot conclude that local retinal EMT-processes could be observed from the corresponding systemic serum biomarkers in patients undergoing anti-VEGF-A treatments.

Variation in the anthocyanin concentration of wild populations of crowberries (Empetrum nigrum L subsp. hermaphroditum).

Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum L.) is a relatively under-utilized wild berry that occurs widely throughout the northern hemisphere such as in Canada, Eurasia, and northern Europe. In this work, the anthocyanins of crowberries were analyzed from four geographically distinct crowberry populations in Finland using HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI/MS/MS. A total number of 15 anthocyanins were detected; 15 (11 structure elucidated) in all samples in order to profile-specific anthocyanin compositions throughout Finland. The major anthocyanin found in the samples collected from central and eastern Finland was delphinidin 3-galactoside accounting for more than 24% of the total anthocyanin content, while the cyanidin 3-galactoside was the major anthocyanin in the northernmost and in the western samples. Significant variation in the concentrations of different anthocyanins between and within crowberry populations were found suggesting that the synthesis of anthocyanins is modified by site-specific environmental conditions. The suitability of the crowberries as a potential source of health-promoting ingredients for incorporation into pharmaceutical and food industrial products is highlighted in this work due to the diverse anthocyanin profile.