Background: Apolipoprotein E plays a key role in lipoprotein metabolism and is believed to be an important protein in other biologic functions such as wound healing processes of nerve tissue. Because the neurosensory retina is rich in lipids, we analyzed the subretinal fluid from patients with acute and chronic retinal detachments to determine whether apolipoprotein was present and whether it was involved in lipid metabolism during wound repair of the detached retina.
Methods: The subretinal fluid collected from eyes with rhegmatogenous and exudative retinal detachments first was analyzed by agarose and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis to identify the lipoprotein profiles. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of apolipoprotein E, and semiquantitation was performed by densitometry of the corresponding immunodot-blot.
Results: Apolipoprotein E was present in the subretinal fluid of eyes with rhegmatogenous and exudative retinal detachments. Its concentration increased in eyes with chronic retinal detachments.
Conclusions: We implicate apolipoprotein E found in the subretinal fluid in the wound-healing process of the detached retina.