# Association of oxidative stress biomarkers with primary congenital glaucoma

## TL;DR

This study finds that oxidative stress biomarkers are linked to primary congenital glaucoma, suggesting a role in its development.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific oxidative stress markers as independent risk factors for PCG using both statistical and machine learning methods.

## Key findings

- PCG patients had higher H2O2 and MDA levels and lower TAS levels compared to controls.
- TAS, H2O2, and MDA were independent risk/protective factors for PCG after adjusting for age and gender.
- The XGBoost or KNN model using TAS alone achieved the highest AUC of 0.74 in predicting PCG.

## Abstract

To explore the relationship between oxidative stress biomarkers and primary congenital glaucoma (PCG).

This case-control study included 40 PCG patients and 38 matched controls. Serum total antioxidant status (TAS), as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels were measured, along with eye and body exams. Logistic regression analysis was performed for PCG risk factors and machine learning model biomarker diagnosis.

In the PCG group, H2O2 and MDA levels were notably higher than in controls (p < 0.001, p = 0.020), while TAS levels were significantly lower (p = 0.043). Adjusting for age and gender, the serum TAS (OR = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01–0.85, p = 0.037), H2O2 (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.09–1.35, p = 0.001) and MDA (OR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.00–1.34, p = 0.034) were determined to be independent risk/protective factors for PCG. Pearson analysis revealed significant negative correlations: SOD with anterior chamber depth (r = −0.445, p = 0.012) and H2O2 with mean deviation values for the visual field (r = −0.412, p = 0.041). Positive correlations were also significant: MDA with axial length (AL (r = 0.576, p = 0.002). The XGBoost or KNN model using TAS alone achieved the highest AUC (0.74) in five-fold cross-validation.

The decrease in TAS levels and the increase in H2O2 and MDA levels are found to be correlated with PCG, and the results indicate that oxidative stress plays a part in congenital glaucoma onset.