Tehran University of Medical Sciences Acta Medica Iranica 0044-6025 52 4 2014 04 15 265 270 EN Amir Ghorbanihaghjo Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Alireza Javadzadeh Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Nadereh Rashtchizadeh Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Rana Sorkhabi Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Hasan Khalili Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Babak Rahimi-Ardabili Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. 2015 10 11 Calcification and inflammation are among the important cases of exudative age-related macular degeneration (E-ARMD). The aim of the present study was to elucidate if there is any relationship between serum Osteoprotegerin (OPG), soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANK-ligand) and E-ARMD. In a cross-sectional study, we compared 45 E-ARMD patients with 45 matched controls. Diagnosis was confirmed by fluorescein angiography. Serum samples were analyzed for OPG, RANK-ligand, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG). The levels of OPG and RANK-ligand were measured by ELISA methods. The mean age was 72.0±11.5 years in the E-ARMD group and 68.2±8.9 years in the control group (p=0.09). The level of serum OPG was 132.10±75.49 pg/ml in the E-ARMD group and 94.88±61.65 pg/ml in the control subjects. E-ARMD patients had significantly high levels of OPG (p=0.012), as well as significantly high levels of LDL-C and TC (p=0.001 and p=0.005, respectively). We could not find any significant difference in RANK-ligand, HDL-C, or TG between two study groups (p>0.05). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the levels of OPG in E-ARMD patients. The present study showed that E-ARMD patients had high levels of serum OPG. It may act as a protective factor for E-ARMD or only as a secondary phenomenon of different processes of E-ARMD. Further prospective studies would be necessary for prognostic and predictive significance of OPG in patients affected by E-ARMD. https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/view/4652 https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/download/4652/4368