Objective To observe the correlation between postmenopausal estrogen levels and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in women. Methods Thirty-nine menopause female patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 17 menopause subjects (control group) were enrolled in this study. Control subjects aged from 53 to 82 years, with the mean age of (69.80±8.32) years. Diabetes mellitus patients aged from 56 to 84 years, with the mean age of (70.50±8.27) years; diabetes duration ranged from 3 to 23 years, with the average course of diabetes (11.40±7.97) years. DR diagnosis was according to the results of fundus fluorescein angiography, and thus the 39 patients were divided into DR group (19 patients) and non-DR (NDR) group (20 patients). There was no significant difference in age and menopause duration between the three groups (t=0.347, 0.485;P＞0.05). There was significant difference in diabetes course (t=2.748,P＜0.05). Compared with NDR group, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly increased (t=6.130, 5.322, 4.574, 2.426, 4.033), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lower (t=3.917), the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). The level of estradiol (E2) was measured by radioimmunoassay. The differences of E2 levels between the three groups were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of DR. Results The levels of E2 in control group, DR group and NDR group were (42.38±8.64), (21.49±9.81) and (32.72±10.51) pg/ml, respectively. The level of E2 in DR group was significantly lower than that in NDR group and control group (t=3.443, 10.110;P＜0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the duration of diabetes mellitus [coefficients =0.166, odds ratio (OR)=1.181,P= 0.016], FBG (coefficients=1.162,OR=4.014,P=0.001), TC (coefficients=3.212,OR=10.820,P=0.002), TG (coefficients=1.649,OR=5.203,P= 0.030) and LDL-C (coefficients=1.605,OR= 4.976,P=0.003) were the risk factors for DR; E2 (coefficients=?0.100,OR=0.904,P=0.004) and HDL-C (coefficients=?4.460,OR=0.012,P=0.002) were the protective factors for DR. Conclusion The estrogen level of postmenopausal women have a certain correlation with the development of DR, it may be one of the protective factor of DR.
Objective To measure the concentration of serum transthyretin (TTR) of patients with different stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods A total of 176 patients with diabetes mellitus were included in this study. There were 104 males and 72 females. The patients aged from 21 to 74 years, with the mean age of (56±11) years. The diabetes duration raged from 1 to 30 years, with the mean diabetes duration of (10±7) years. The HbA1C was 5.2%?14.1%, with the mean HbA1C of (8.6±2.0)%. According to the fundus examination, 58 patients had DR (33.0%), but the other 118 patients not (67.0%). For these DR patients, 10 patients were in stage Ⅰ (5.7%), 26 patients in stage Ⅱ (14.8%), 8 patients in stage Ⅲ (4.5%), and 14 patients in stage Ⅳ (8.0%). The concentration of serum TTR was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay kit. The differences in the concentration of serum TTR between different DR stages were compared.Bivariate analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of TTR. Results The concentrations of serum TTR of the patients without DR or with DR of stage Ⅰ to Ⅳ were (224.96±65.47), (383.68±102.99), (247.44±63.21), (228.2±45.89), (189.34±70.12) mg/L, respectively. The difference between different DR stages was statistically significant (F=14.690,P＜0.001).Bivariate analysis showed that the concentration of TTR was correlation to DR (r=0.179,P=0.017). There was no correlation between the concentration of TTR and diabetes duration (r=?0.027,P=0.727), hypertension (r=0.018,P=0.810), hyperlipoidemia (r=0.101,P=0.182), and the use of insulin (r=?0.032,P=0.675). Conclusion The concentration of serum TTR was increased in early DR patients, and gradually decreased with the progression of DR. The concentration of TTR is correlated to DR.
Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of blindness in people with diabetes. At present, there are many views on the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy, including the changes of retinal microenvironment caused by high glucose, the formation of advanced glycation end products, oxidative stress injury, inflammatory reaction and angiogenesis factor. These mechanisms produce a common pathway that leads to retinal degeneration and microvascular injury in the retina. In recent years, cell regeneration therapy plays an increasingly important role in the process of repairing diseases. Different types of stem cells have neurological and vascular protection for the retina, but the focus of the target is different. It has been reported that stem cells can regulate the retinal microenvironment and protect the retinal nerve cells by paracrine production, and can also reduce immune damage through potential immunoregulation, and can also differentiate into damaged cells by regenerative function. Combined with the above characteristics, stem cells show the potential for the repair of diabetic retinopathy, this stem cell-based regenerative therapy for clinical application provides a pre-based evident. However, in the process of stem cell transplantation, homogeneity of stem cells, cell delivery, effective homing and transplantation to damaged tissue is still a problem of cell therapy.
ObjectiveTo investigate the role of apelin, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) in the development and progress of diabetic retinopathy (DR). MethodsThe serum concentration of apelin, HbA1c, TC, TG, HDLC and LDLC were measured in 30 normal control subjects and 90 patients with type 2 diabetic mellitus, including 30 cases without DR (NDR), 30 with non-proliferative DR (NPDR), 30 with proliferative DR (PDR). These data were analyzed by SPSS for windows 13.0. ResultsThe serum concentration of apelin, HbA1c, TC, HDLC, LDLC were significantly higher in NDR, NPDR, PDR group than those in control group (F=403.06, 5.45, 4.27, 201.56, 4.90;P < 0.05). The serum concentration of TG has no significantly difference (F=2.19, P > 0.05). The serum concentration of apelin, HbA1c, TC, LDLC were significantly higher in NDR, NPDR, PDR group than those in control group (t=0.30, 0.58, 0.79;P < 0.05), the serum concentration of HDLC were significantly lower than those in control group(t=0.79, P < 0.01). There were significantly positive correlation between the progression of DR and the serum concentration of apelin, HbA1c, TC, LDLC(r=0.962, 0.562, 0.935;P < 0.05). There were significantly negative correlation between the progression of DR and the serum concentration of HDLC(r=-0.753, P < 0.01). There were correlation between apelin and HbA1c, LDLC and HDLC(r=0.956, 0.741, -0.691;P < 0.01). ConclusionOur data demonstrated that serum apelin levels increased significantly in patients with diabetic retinopathy, and are closely related to blood sugar, blood lipid metabolic abnormalities.
The exact pathophysiological mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy (DR) remain elusive. The inflammatory reaction, retinal vascular leakage and retinal neovascularization are main features of DR. Adiponectin (APN) is an endogenous biological active protein secreted by adipocytes. It can increase insulin sensitivity, regulate blood glucose and lipid metabolism, and has anti-inflammation and anti-neovascularization functions. It may be involved in the development of DR. This review summarized the studies on the association between APN and DR in recent years.
O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) glycosylation is an important form of post-translational protein modification, mainly intracellular. It is closely related to cellular signaling pathways, and is involved in signal transduction, gene transcription and other important biological processes. Studies have found that O-GlcNAc glycosylation is directly related with diabetic retinopathy (DR), further studies may help us to uncover the DR mechanism, and develop new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
Microvesicles (MVs) is small membrane vesicles released from different cell types under different conditions. Studies have shown that MVs may mediate vascular inflammation, angiogenesis, and other pathological processes. MVs may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR) by mediating endothelial cell injury, thrombosis and neovascularization. The plasma MV level may be an effective parameter to monitor the development of DR. This article will summarize the research progress of the relationship between MVs and DR in recent years.
ObjectiveTo observe the serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), apelin and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to explore their their relationship with diabetic retinopathy (DR).MethodsA total of 208 patients with T2DM and 50 healthy subjects (control group) from the Central Hospital of Western Hainan during January 2014 and December 2017 were selected in this study. Vision, slit lamp microscope, indirect ophthalmoscope and FFA examinations were performed on all the subjects. According to the results of the examinations combined with the DR clinical staging criteria, the patients were divided into non-DR (NDR) group, non-proliferative DR (NPDR) group, and proliferative DR (PDR) group, with 72, 76 and 60 patients in each, respectively. The clinical data of each group were recorded, and the levels of fasting blood glucose (FPG), HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), three acylglycerol (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), VEGF, apelin and HO-1 were detected in each group. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were used to analyze the value of VEGF, apelin and HO-1 in predicting the occurrence of PDR. Correlation analysis of serum VEGF, Apelin and HO-1 with clinical parameters in PDR patients by Pearson correlation analysis.ResultsThe level of VEGF (56.82±10.16 vs 91.74±22.83, 140.15±36.40, 195.28±42.26 pg/ml) and apelin (2.95±0.53 vs 4.68±0.74, 7.25±1.13, 10.16±1.35 ng/ml) in PDR group were significantly higher than those in NPDR, NDR and control groups (F=17.306, 21.814; P＜0.05). The level of HO-1 (50.37±10.14 vs 43.58±8.16, 30.25±6.28, 22.60±4.72 mmol/L) in PDR group was significantly lower than those in NPDR, NDR and control groups (F=15.827, P＜0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the best cut-off values of serum VEGF, apelin and HO-1 were 162.50 pg/ml, 8.30 ng/ml, 27.13 mmol/L, and the three combined to predict PDR of AUC (95%CI) was 0.906 (0.849?0.962), and their sensitivity (90.3%) and specificity (83%) were better. The correlation analysis showed that the VEGF, apelin and HO-1 of PDR patients were correlated with the course of diabetes (r=0.382, 0.416, ?0.36; P＜0.05), FPG (r=0.438, 0.460, ?0.397; P＜0.05) and HbAlc (r=0.375, 0.478, ?0.405; P＜0.05), and the serum VEGF were correlated with apelin and HO-1 (r=0.793, ?0.594; P＜0.01).ConclusionElevated serum VEGF and apelin levels and reduced HO-1 levels are associated with the progression of DR, and the three combination helps predict the occurrence of PDR.
Objective To investigate the relationship between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and coronary atherosclerosis (CAS) in type 2 diabetes patients and other risk factors of DR. Methods A total of 118 patients of type 2 diabetes with DR (DR group), 120 patients of type 2 diabetes without DR matched in age and sex (non-DR group), and 86 normal controls (control group) were enrolled in this study. The body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), fasting blood-glucose (FPG), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterin (LDL-C), creatinine, estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin excretion rate(UAER) in all the subjects were measured. Meanwhile, the incidence of CAS in the three groups was detected by 64slice multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA). Assume concurrent DR as dependent variable, clinical indicators and laboratory parameters as independent variable, the risk factors were determined by Logistic regression analysis. In addition, CAS as dependent variable, DR as fixed factor, analysis of covariance was used to investigate the relationship between CAS and DR. Results The incidence of CAS in DR group was higher than that in nonDR group and control group, the differences were statistically significant (chi;2=26.9,35.5;P＜0.05). The results of Logistic regression analysis showed that systolic BP, BMI, CAS, myocardial infarction and UAER were key risk factors for DR ［odds ratio (OR)=1.02, 0.89, 4.50, 3.89, 1.34;P＜0.05］. There was a negative relationship between BMI and DR. The results of analysis of covariance showed that there was significant correlation between CAS and DR (OR=5.31, 95% confidence interval=2.62-10.60; P＜0.05). Conclusion CAS is independently associated with DR in type 2 diabetes patients. In addition, the other risk factors for DR include systolic BP, BMI, myocardial infarction and UAER.
ObjectiveTo observe RNA-Seq analysis of gene expression profiling in retinal vascular endothelial cells after anti-vascular endothecial growth factor (VEGF) treatment.MethodsRetinal vascular endothelial cells were cultured in vitro, and the logarithmic growth phase cells were used for experiments. The cells were divided into the control group and high glucose group. The cells of two groups were cultured for 5 hours with 5, 25 mmol/L glucose, respectively. And then, whole transcriptome sequencing approach was applied to the above two groups of cells through RNA-Seq. Now with biological big data obtained as a basis, to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). And through enrichment analysis to explain the differential functions of DEGs and their signal pathways.ResultsThe gene expression profiles of the two groups of cells were obtained. Through analysis, 449 DEGs were found, including 297 upregulated and 152 downregulated ones. The functions of DEGs were influenced by regulations over molecular biological process, cellular energy metabolism and protein synthesis, etc. Among these genes, ITGB1BP2, NCF1 and UNC5C were related to production of inflammation; AKR1C4, ATP1A3, CHST5, LCTL were related to energy metabolism of cells; DAB1 and PRSS55 were related to protein synthesis; SMAD9 and BMP4 were related to the metabolism of extracellular matrix. GO enrichment analysis showed that DEGs mainly act in three ways: regulating biological behavior, organizing cellular component and performing molecular function, which were mainly concentrated in the system generation of biological process part and regulation of multicellular organisms. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that gene expressions of the two cell groups were differentiated in transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway, complement pathway and amino acid metabolism-related pathways have also been affected, such as tryptophan, serine and cyanide. Among them, leukocyte inhibitory factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 4 play a role through the TGF-β signaling pathway.ConclusionsHigh glucose affects the function of retinal vascular endothelial cells by destroying transmembrane conduction of retinal vascular endothelial cells, metabolism of extracellular matrix, and transcription and translation of proteins.