{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T20:14:21Z","timestamp":1791317661809,"version":"4.3.1"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,29]],"date-time":"2022-01-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1643414400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000053","name":"National Eye Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R01EY018590 and R01-EY028823 (PVR)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01EY018590 and R01-EY028823 (PVR)"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000053","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Dysregulated levels of growth\/differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), a divergent member of the transforming growth factor-beta super family, have been found to be associated with the pathology of various diseases. In this study, we evaluated the levels of GDF15 in aqueous humor (AH) and serum samples derived from primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and age- and gender-matched non-glaucoma (cataract) patients to assess the plausible association between GDF15 and POAG. GDF15 levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and data analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test, or the Kruskal\u2013Wallis test and linear regression. GDF15 levels in the AH (n = 105) of POAG patients were significantly elevated (by 7.4-fold) compared to cataract patients (n = 117). Serum samples obtained from a subgroup of POAG patients (n = 41) also showed a significant increase in GDF15 levels (by 50%) compared to cataract patients. GDF15 levels were elevated in male, female, African American, and Caucasian POAG patients. This study reveals a significant and marked elevation of GDF15 levels in the AH of POAG patients compared to non-glaucoma cataract control patients. Although serum GDF15 levels were also elevated in POAG patients, the magnitude of difference was much smaller relative to that found in the AH.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm11030744","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,30]],"date-time":"2022-01-30T00:12:56Z","timestamp":1643501576000},"page":"744","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Elevated Levels of Growth\/Differentiation Factor-15 in the Aqueous Humor and Serum of Glaucoma Patients"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Rupalatha","family":"Maddala","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leona T. Y.","family":"Ho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shruthi","family":"Karnam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iris","family":"Navarro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anja","family":"Osterwald","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., 4070 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sandra S.","family":"Stinnett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1044-6722","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christoph","family":"Ullmer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., 4070 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8209-4746","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robin R.","family":"Vann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pratap","family":"Challa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA"},{"name":"Duke Eye Center, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ponugoti V.","family":"Rao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA"},{"name":"Duke Eye Center, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"e11686","article-title":"Epidemiology of Glaucoma: The Past, Present, and Predictions for the Future","volume":"12","author":"Allison","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2081","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ophtha.2014.05.013","article-title":"Global prevalence of glaucoma and projections of glaucoma burden through 2040: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"121","author":"Tham","year":"2014","journal-title":"Ophthalmology"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16067","DOI":"10.1038\/nrdp.2016.67","article-title":"Primary open-angle glaucoma","volume":"2","author":"Weinreb","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat. 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