INCREASED LIPID PEROXIDE LEVELS AND MYELOPEROXIDASE ACTIVITY IN THE VITREOUS OF PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC-RETINOPATHY

Lipid peroxide (LPO) levels, as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in vitreous of patients vitrectomized because of proliferative diabetic retinopathy were compared with LPO l evels and MPO activity in vitreous of patients with no vitreoretinal p roliferation. Both LPO levels and MPO activity were significantly elev ated in the vitreous of patients with fibrovascular vitreoretinal prol iferations secondary to diabetes. The TBA method produced higher value s for LPO levels than did the HPLC method. The correlation between the two methods was 0.94. Our results suggest that both oxygen-free radic als and inflammation-related reactions can participate in the pathogen esis of diabetic retinopathy.