Neurofilament light chain: A new marker for neuronal decay in the anterior chamber fluid of patients with glaucoma

Nora Woltsche, Katharina Valentin, Lukas Hoeflechner, Andreas Guttmann, Jutta Horwath-Winter, Mona Regina Schneider, Domagoj Ivastinovic, Marlene Lindner, Leopold Schmetterer, Neena Singh, Regina Riedl, Arabella Buchmann, Michael Khalil, Ewald Lindner*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background/Aims Neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels in cerebrospinal fluid and serum are reliable indicators for neuroaxonal damage in a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we investigate NfL levels in serum and anterior chamber fluid of patients with glaucoma. Methods Patients scheduled for routine glaucoma or cataract surgery were recruited for this study. Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness was measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT, Heidelberg Spectralis). NfL levels in serum and in anterior chamber fluid were analysed with Simoa SR-X Analyzer (Quanterix; NFLIGHT, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA). T-test was used for parametric data and Mann-Whitney-U test for nonparametric data. Spearman's rank-order correlation was used to investigate correlations. P values<0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results Sixty patients with glaucoma and 58 controls were enrolled. Serum NfL concentration of patients with glaucoma was similar to serum NfL concentration in controls (median (IQR); 22.7 (18.9) pg/mL vs 22.5 (24.0) pg/mL; p=0.763). A positive correlation of serum NfL with age was observed in both patients with glaucoma (r=0.77; p<0.001) and in the control group (r=0.82, p<0.001). In the anterior chamber fluid, the NfL concentration was substantially increased in patients with glaucoma compared with controls (20.7 (101.3) pg/mL vs 3.1 (2.9) pg/mL; p<0.001). Furthermore, we found a positive correlation of anterior chamber fluid NfL with preoperative intraocular pressure (r=0.39, p=0.003) and with retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (r=0.58, p<0.001). Conclusion NfL levels in anterior chamber fluid are elevated in patients with glaucoma and correlate with intraocular pressure and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness. The presented data strongly support anterior chamber fluid NfL as a new marker for glaucoma.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1432-1437
Number of pages6
JournalBritish Journal of Ophthalmology
Volume107
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 1 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Ophthalmology
  • Sensory Systems
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Keywords

  • Anterior chamber
  • Aqueous humour
  • Glaucoma

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