Levels of thrombopoietin in aqueous humor of patients with noninfectious acute anterior uveitis

José-Juan Mondejar,1,4 David Salom,1,3 Salvador Garcia-Delpech,1,2 Manuel Diaz-Llopis11Ophthalmology Department, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 2Ophthalmology Department, Hospital Universitario La Fe, 3Ophthalmology Department, Hospital de Manises, Valencia, 4Ophthalmology Department, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Alicante,SpainPurpose: To measure thrombopoietin (TPO) levels in the serum and aqueous humors of patients with noninfectious acute anterior uveitis.Methods: A prospective, comparative, controlled study. Serum and aqueous humors were obtained from the eyes of 16 patients with noninfectious acute anterior uveitis. TPO levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results obtained were compared with those of a control group.Results: Serum concentrations of TPO were not significantly different between control individuals and patients with active anterior uveitis. Aqueous humor TPO levels were 54.46±16.24pg/mL in the eyes of patients with uveitis, and 34.32±11.63 pg/mL in the eyes of controls. The difference between the two groups was significant (Mann–Whitney U-test for independent data, P=0.0008), with uveitis patients exhibiting significantly higher levels of TPO. Conclusion: The high levels of TPO in the aqueous humors of uveitis patients points toward a cytoprotective role of this factor in inflammatory repair processes and the recovery of tissue homeostasis.Keywords: TPO, thrombopoietin, aqueous humors, serum, acute anterior uveitis, cytopro­tective