Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39856599›Full record

ArticleBMC ophthalmology2025

Increased aqueous humor levels of endothelin-1 in patients with open angle glaucoma.

Adam Hedberg-Buenz, Erin A Boese, Angela W Nyunt, Nathan C Sears, Andrew E Pouw, Kai Wang, John H Fingert

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC ophthalmology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Gasotransmitters in Glaucoma: A New Paradigm.Bulletin of pharmaceutical research · 2026
    Article
  4. Protein misfolding and mitochondrial dysfunction in glaucoma.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Adam Hedberg-BuenzInstitute for Vision Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.
Erin A BoeseInstitute for Vision Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.
Angela W NyuntInstitute for Vision Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.
Nathan C SearsInstitute for Vision Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.
Andrew E PouwInstitute for Vision Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.
Kai WangDepartment of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.
John H FingertInstitute for Vision Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States. john-fingert@uiowa.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEndothelin is a potent vasoconstrictor and contributes to the regulation of vascular perfusion. Aberrant endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels in aqueous humor have been reported across a variety of vascular diseases of the eye, including glaucoma. These findings suggest that dysregulation of ET-1 production may contribute to glaucoma pathophysiology. In this study, aqueous humor from patients undergoing ocular surgery was assayed for ET-1 abundance and related to the presence of glaucoma. PATIENTS: Open angle glaucoma patients (n=62 total) from the ophthalmology clinics of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics were enrolled in this study and organized into three distinct cohorts based on their diagnostic criteria, including those with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG, n=25 patients), normal tension glaucoma (NTG, n=17 patients), exfoliation glaucoma (XFG, n=8 patients), and normal controls (n=12 patients).

methodsAqueous humor was collected intraoperatively from patients undergoing surgeries for glaucoma (including minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries, trabeculectomy, or glaucoma drainage device implantation) for samples in the glaucoma cohorts and cataract extraction for those in the control cohort. Aqueous humor was assayed by ELISA to measure and compare ET-1 abundance between the glaucoma cohorts and control cohort. ET-1 levels were also analyzed with linear regression to control for the covariates of age and sex.

resultsET-1 was significantly elevated in the aqueous humor of patients in the POAG (mean ± SD: 7.8 ± 5.1 pg/mL; p = 0.002) and NTG cohorts (6.1 ± 3.0 pg/mL; p = 0.030) compared to the control (4.0 ± 1.9 pg/mL). No significant difference in aqueous ET-1 was detected in the XFG cohort (6.2 ± 4.5 pg/mL; p = 0.230) compared to the control. Significantly higher ET-1 levels were detected in a merged grouping of all glaucoma cohorts (POAG, NTG, XFG) relative to controls (p = 0.021). Analysis of covariance indicated neither age nor sex was associated with ET-1 level (p = 0.60 and p = 0.27), respectively. Controlling for age and sex had minimal influence on the comparison of ET-1 levels in the POAG versus control cohort (p = 0.018) and nominal influence on the comparisons between the NTG (p = 0.089) or XFG cohort (p = 0.15) relative to the control.

conclusionsElevated ET-1 in aqueous humor was associated with POAG and NTG compared to controls amongst cohorts of patients at the University of Iowa. These data suggest that dysregulation of vascular perfusion may have a role in the pathophysiology of POAG. The analyses of NTG and XFG samples were limited by the relatively small sample sizes.

Indexed as

Aqueous HumorEndothelin-1Glaucoma, Open-AngleAgedAged, 80 and overEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent AssayExfoliation SyndromeFemaleHumansIntraocular PressureLow Tension GlaucomaMaleMiddle AgedEndothelin-1Aqueous humorELISAEndothelin-1Exfoliation glaucomaIntraocular pressureNormal tension glaucomaPrimary open angle glaucoma

Identifiers

PMID39856599
PMCPMC11760677

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.