Myopia and Metabolomics: A Comparative Study of Aqueous Humor and Serum Metabolites in Myopic Adults Undergoing Cataract Surgery

This study aims to evaluate aqueous humor (AH) and serum metabolite concentrations in myopic and control adults undergoing cataract surgery and to correlate them with axial length (AL) to gain a better insight into the pathogenesis at both the local and systemic levels. Ninety-three patients were assigned to the myopic (n = 52) and control (n = 41) groups. Venous blood and aqueous humor samples were collected and analyzed by means of targeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The univariate analysis has revealed distinct metabolomic profiles between the myopic and control groups in AH but not in serum. In the AH of myopic patients, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and taurine concentrations were significantly lower. SDMA and taurine levels in the AH correlated negatively with the AL. These findings account for the insight into the local metabolic alterations in the case of myopia, potentially leading to novel therapeutic targets.