Assessment of candidate ocular biomarkers of ageing in a South African adult population: Relationship with chronological age and systemic biomarkers☆

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Highlights

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Structural parameters of the eye change with increasing chronological age.
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Ocular age-related parameters may serve as biomarkers of aging.
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Relevant ocular parameters include retinal vessel calibre and lens density.

Abstract

Certain anatomic and functional parameters of the eye change with increasing chronological age. They may, therefore, serve as potential biomarkers of ageing. We investigated associations between four such ocular parameters (lens density, retinal vessel calibre, corneal endothelial cells and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness) and two ‘cellular’ biomarkers of ageing (leukocyte telomere length and CDKN2A expression), with frailty (a clinical correlate of biological ageing) in a population of South African adults. All ocular parameters revealed an association with either telomere length or CDKN2A expression. However, lens density was most strongly correlated with age, increased CDKN2A expression, and with frailty ( p = 0.05 and 0.03, respectively). Narrow retinal arteriolar diameter, associated with increased chronological age, was also associated with increased CDK2NA expression (0.42 vs. 0.31, p = 0.02) but not with frailty. Ocular parameters may aid in determining biological age, warranting investigation in longitudinal studies.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Sophia Pathai

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Mech Ageing Dev

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Mech. Ageing Dev

Title: Mechanisms of Ageing and Development

Publisher: Elsevier Science Ireland

ISSN (Print): 0047-6374

ISSN (Electronic): 1872-6216

Publication date PMC-release: 1 July 2013

Publication date (Print): July 2013

Volume: 134

Issue: 7-8

Pages: 338-345

Affiliations

[a ]International Centre for Eye Health, Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK

[b ]Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa

[c ]Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, LSHTM, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK

[d ]MRC Tropical Epidemiology Group, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, LSHTM, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK

[e ]NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 162 City Road, London EC1V 2PD, UK

[f ]Department of Ophthalmology, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa

[g ]Singapore Eye Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 11 Third Hospital Avenue, Singapore 168751, Singapore

[h ]Institute of Cancer Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

Author notes

[* ]Corresponding author at: International Centre for Eye Health, Department of Clinical Research, LSHTM, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT, UK. Tel.: +44 20 7958 8343; fax: +44 20 7958 8325. Sophia.pathai@ 123456lshtm.ac.uk sophia.pathai@ 123456gmail.com

Article

Publisher ID: S0047-6374(13)00061-4

DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2013.05.002

PMC ID: 3710972

PubMed ID: 23701820

SO-VID: 6e6f3bef-59aa-40d8-b1b3-71f426841835

License:

This document may be redistributed and reused, subject to certain conditions.

History

Date received : 17 January 2013

Date revision received : 27 April 2013

Date accepted : 11 May 2013

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