Serum Cholinesterases as Indicators of Cholinergic Dysfunction in Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to measure serum acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities in order to evaluate the potential role of the cholinergic system in exudative type age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: This case-control study involved 38 individuals diagnosed with exudative AMD and 41 healthy individuals with similar characteristics in terms of age and gender. The Ellman method was used to evaluate serum AChE and BChE activity after each subject underwent an ophthalmological examination. Multivariate logistic regression, ROC curve analysis, t-tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used in the statistical studies. CONCLUSIONS: The increased serum AChE activity observed in exudative AMD suggests that the cholinergic system plays a role in retinal degeneration. AChE levels could be considered as potential AMD pathogenesis biomarkers and as a potential treatment target.