Tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentration in the aqueous humor of healthy and diseased dogs: a preliminary pilot study.
OBJECTIVES
To determine reference values of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) concentrations in the aqueous humor of control dogs. To show whether these values are significantly different from those obtained in dogs affected with intraocular pathology: acute anterior uveitis (AAU) or chronic primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG).


METHODS
Forty-four dogs were included in the study and were divided into two groups: a control group and a group with intraocular disease. Twenty-seven dogs (9 males and 18 females) were examined and found to be normal after a complete ophthalmological examination (control group), 7 (6 females and 1 male) presented with PACG, and 10 (7 females and 3 males) presented with AAU secondary to corneal perforation. One aqueous humor sample (volume ≥ 0.2 mL) was collected from one eye of all dogs. The aqueous TNF-α concentration was determined with an Elisa kit.


RESULTS
TNF-α levels were detectable in all dogs. TNF-α levels were significantly higher in the group with intraocular disease compared to the normal control group (P=0.001). In the group with intraocular disease, TNF-α levels were significantly higher in the aqueous humor of the AAU group compared with the PACG group (P=0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
In the dog, it is possible to measure the concentration of TNF-α in the aqueous humor. The level of TNF-α was significantly higher in the case of AAU. TNF-α is an interesting biomarker for longitudinal follow-up studies of comparative ophthalmology.
['Durieux|P|P|', 'Etchepareborde|S|S|', 'Fritz|D|D|', 'Rosolen|S G|SG|']
D000818:Animals D001082:Aqueous Humor D004283:Dog Diseases D004285:Dogs D005260:Female D015812:Glaucoma, Angle-Closure D008297:Male D010865:Pilot Projects D012016:Reference Values D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha D014606:Uveitis, Anterior
Aqueous humor Dogs TNF-α Uveitis Glaucoma Chiens Glaucome Humeur aqueuse Uvéite