Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause ofblindness in the working-age population in theU.S. and has created a massive health care bur-den. Chronic hyperglycemia leads to specific changes in the retina, including the loss of pericytes, base-ment membrane thickening, and impaired endothelial cell function. However, the biological explanation of these cel-lular events remains unclear. Eventually, these changes lead to the formation of microaneurysms, the breakdown of the tight junctions in the retinal vasculature, subsequent ex-travasation of fluid, and vision loss. DR often progresses to a more deleterious proliferative phenotype due to profound ischemia with neovascularization of the retina and vitreous hemorrhage. Given this substantial clinical problem, many researchers are focused on resolving molecular mechanisms in DR pathogenesis to identify potential new therapeutic targets. Although a significant cache of data has amassed in studies linking DR to proinflammatory
Source: Diabetes
DOI: 10.2337/db12-1151
Authors: Mark E. Kleinman, Jayakrishna Ambati
Institution: University of Kentucky
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2150716571