Plasma Metabolomic Profiles Associated with AMD Progression

A study sought to assess the links between plasma metabolomic profiles and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at three years. The results were published at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2021.

This was a prospective longitudinal study in design. Ines C. Lains, MD and colleagues analyzed a total of 98 patients with AMD (n = 196 eyes), and a control group. At baseline and three years, they obtained color fundus photos (CFP) for AMD staging, dark adaptation (DA) testing for functional assessment and fasting plasma samples for metabolomic profiling. Multilevel mixed models were used to analyze the data.

The results demonstrated that three baseline metabolites, as well as changes in three other metabolites were correlated with AMD progression. Also, the results showed that seven baseline metabolites and changes four metabolites were associated with changes in DA time. The researchers noted that most significant metabolites were lipids, followed by amino acids.

“Plasma metabolomic profiles are associated with clinical and functional progression of AMD at 3 years, contributing to the understanding of AMD pathogenesis and the future development of AMD biomarkers,” the researchers concluded.

Source: Laines I, et al. Plasma Metabolomic Profiles Associated with AMD Progression at 3 Years. Poster 362. Published for AAO 2021; Nov. 12-15, 2021, New Orleans, LA.