We have read with great interest the published article by Min et al. entitled “Elevated plasma pentraxin3 levels and its association with neovascular age-related macular degeneration”.Citation1 They have evaluated pentraxin 3 (PTX3)c levels in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (N-ARMD) and its predictive role. They concluded that PTX3 might be a potentially useful biomarker with its diagnostic sensitivity of PTX3 for N-ARMD. However, there are some points that need to be clarified.
PTX3, an acute phase protein, is produced in response to inflammatory conditions in vivo and plays a key role in the innate immune system.Citation2 The authors excluded patients with hyperlipidemia, chronic kidney disease, or cardiovascular disease due to potential influence on the blood C reactive protein (CRP) and PTX3 concentrations, as they stated. In addition, patients taking medication for hyperlipidemia or an angiotensin II receptor antagonist or an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor for hypertension were also excluded from this study. However, the authors did not express possible confounding factors that likely affect plasma PTX3 levels, such as several inflammatory or infectious diseases, including rheumatologic diseases, pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, vasculitis, and ulcerative colitis.Citation3 Therefore, if simple laboratory tests such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate and complete blood count were performed in addition to PTX3 and CRP; selection of study groups could be more reliable.
The authors have taken into account the medication status of participants. However, supplements such as omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin E could affect PTX3 levels.Citation4 Lee et al. showed that the percentage of consumption of different food supplements in a sample of the adult Korean population was 21.8% for men and 32.0% for women.Citation5 In this regard, the authors should state whether the participants use these kinds of supplements or not.
In conclusion, though this study contributes valuable information to medical literature, the explanation of these concerns will certainly provide a clearer picture.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
References
- Min JK, Kim J, Woo JM. Elevated plasma pentraxin3 levels and its association with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2015;23:205–211
- Yaman H, Cakir E, Akgul EO, et al. Pentraxin 3 as a potential biomarker of acetaminophen-induced liver injury. Exp Toxicol Pathol. 2013;65:147–151
- Bonacina F, Baragetti A, Catapano AL, Norata GD. Long pentraxin 3: experimental and clinical relevance in cardiovascular diseases. Mediators Inflamm. 2013;2013:725102
- Rosjo E, Myhr KM, Loken-Amsrud KI, et al. Increasing serum levels of vitamin A, D and E are associated with alterations of different inflammation markers in patients with multiple sclerosis. J Neuroimmunol. 2014;271:60–65
- Lee JS, Kim J. Factors affecting the use of dietary supplements by Korean adults: data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:1599–1605