AIM:Toinvestigatethelevelsofserumsolubleintercellularadhesionmolecules-1(sICAM-1)andneutrophilicexpressionofCD18inpatientswithvariousstagesofdiabeticretinopathyandtodeterminetheirdifferentexpressionpatterninthedevelopmentofdiabeticretinopathy(DR).·METHODS:LevelsofserumsICAM-1andCD18onthesurfaceofneutrophileweremeasuredin41DRpatients,theywereclassifiedinthreesubgroupsaccordingtothestageofretinopathyasdeterminedbyfund’sophthalmoscopy;10controlsubjectswerealsostudied.sICAM-1weremeasuredbyenzyme-linkedimmunosorbentassayandCD18byflowcytometry.·RESULTS:TheneutrophilicCD18expressionandserumsICAM-1levelwereallsignificantlyelevatedinalldiabeticsubgroupscomparedtocontrolsubjects(P<0.01).ThedifferencesofCD18andsICAM-1amongthediabeticsubgroupsweresignificantinCD18butnotinsICAM-1.TheprogressionofretinopathywasassociatedwithanincreasebothinCD18andinsICAM-1levelsbysimplecorrelationanalysis(β=0.74,P<0.001;β=0.38,P<0.01,respectively).ButstepwisemultipleregressionanalysisrevealedthatonlyCD18wasindependentdeterminantofretinopathy(β=1.04,P<0.01).·CONCLUSION:OurresultsconfirmthecontributionofendothelialandneutrophilicactivationinthedevelopmentofDRasindicatedbyincreasedlevelsofCD18andsICAM-1.However,adirectimplicationofCD18andICAM-1intheprogressionofDRcanbesupportedonlyintheCD18butnotICAM-1.CD18andICAM-1mayplaydifferentroleinthedevelopmentofdiabeticretinopathy.
