Interleukin profile of patients with cataracts and sarcopenic obesity

The combination of cataracts and sarcopenic obesity is a common age-associated pathology with the involvement of interleukins as one of the leading pathogenetic mechanisms. However, the interleukin profile in patients with cataracts aggravated by sarcopenic obesity has not been analyzed to date.

Purpose: to analyze the level of interleukins in blood plasma in patients with cataracts and sarcopenic obesity, depending on the stage of cataract.

Material and methods. The systemic interleukin profile of elderly patients aged 60–74 years with sarcopenic obesity and initial cataract (n = 21), immature cataract (n = 23), mature cataract (n = 22), overripe cataract (n = 23) and 32 patients of the same age without age-related cataracts and sarcopenic obesity was studied by flow cytometry. The stages of cataract were determined in accordance with the Clinical Recommendations “Senile cataract”, and the detection of sarcopenic obesity according to the criteria of the European working Group on sarcopenia in older people (2018).

Results. A statistically significant increase in individual systemic interleukins was found in patients with initial cataract combined with sarcopenic obesity: IL-1β to 38,2 ± 1,3 versus 33,5 ± 1,2 pg/ml in the control, IL-6 to 8,3 ± 0,5 versus 4,9 ± 0,6 pg/ml, IL-8 to 15,9 ± 1,2 pg/ml versus 10,3 ± 2,1 pg/ml and IL-17 up to 12,1 ± 0,7 versus 8,2 ± 1,0 pg/ml. As the initial cataract combined with sarcopenic obesity progressed, the content of most pro-inflammatory interleukins in blood plasma increased significantly in the immature, mature and overripe stages of cataract, with the exception of IL-5. Particularly pronounced interleukin production was observed at the overripe stage of cataract, aggravated by sarcopenic obesity. On the contrary, the content of anti-inflammatory interleukins decreased in the blood plasma at this stage — IL-4 to 1,7 ± 0,6 versus 3,2 ± 0,4 pg/ml in the control, and IL-10 to 7,2 ± 0,5 versus 15,1 ± 1,2 pg/ml, respectively.

Conclusion. A marked increase in the production of pro-inflammatory systemic interleukins and inhibition of the production of anti-inflammatory interleukins contributes to the progression of age-related cataracts combined with sarcopenic obesity from the initial stage to the overripe stage.

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