Increased Nitric Oxide and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels in the Aqueous Humor of Patients with Coats' Disease

Purpose: To determine the aqueous humor levels of nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the eyes of patients with Coats' disease and study the correlation between these levels. Methods: Samples of aqueous humor were obtained from 7 patients with Coats' disease and 15 age-matched patients with congenital cataracts as controls. Nitrite and nitrate (NOx), the stable end products of NO, were detected by the Griess reaction, and VEGF levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The aqueous humor NOx and VEGF levels were elevated in the eyes of patients with Coats' disease compared with those of controls (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). The median NOx level was 55.2 mu M (range, 23.0-75.3 mu M) in the Coats' disease group and 18.8 mu M (range, 8.7-36.2 mM) in the control group. The median VEGF level was 731.7 pg/mL (range, 288.3-1364.3 pg/mL) in the Coats' disease group and 33.3 pg/mL (range, 9.0-96.8 pg/mL) in the control group. No correlation was observed between the aqueous humor concentrations of NOx and VEGF. Conclusions: NOx and VEGF are increased but not related in the aqueous humor samples of patients with Coats' disease. NO and VEGF may play roles in the pathogenesis of Coats' disease. Further studies are needed to clearly elucidate the relationship among VEGF, NO, and other cytokines in Coats' disease.