Lipid peroxidation products in human subretinal fluid

The concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TEARS) and proteins in the subretinal fluid (SF) of patients undergoing retinal detachment surgery have been determined. We have tried to establish the correlations between these biochemical and other clinical features of these patients: evolution time of the retinal detachment, age, degree of myopia, and macular affection. Caucasian patients, 19 men and 19 women (57.42 +/- 12.85 average age, interval 20-80) were randomly selected for this study. SF samples were obtained by puncture after scleral indentation. TEARS and protein concentrations were determined by the corresponding colorimetric assays. A linear correlation exists between TEARS and protein contents in these samples. No correlation could be established between evolution time of the retinal detachment and TEARS content in SF. TEARS in SF increases with increasing age in nonmyopic patients. In the samples of myopic patients the correlation was established between TEARS content and degree of myopia. The group of patients with more than 10 dioptres show a significant higher TEARS concentration in SF than any of the other groups studied. It can be concluded that lipid peroxidation products in SF originate, at least partially, from rod outer segments, and that lipid peroxidation is a process that might play a role in the pathogenesis of retinal detachment, specially in myopic patients.