Neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targets
Abstract Diabetic retinopathy (DR), one of the common complications of diabetes, is the leading cause of visual loss in working-age individuals in many industrialized countries. It has been traditionally regarded as a purely microvascular disease in the retina. However, an increasing number of studi...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
BMC
2021-05-01
|
Series: | Eye and Vision |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40662-021-00239-1 |
id |
doaj-3f39d634d4e346f4bc03628ad552a43a |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-3f39d634d4e346f4bc03628ad552a43a2021-05-02T11:26:17ZengBMCEye and Vision2326-02542021-05-018111910.1186/s40662-021-00239-1Neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targetsShen Nian0Amy C. Y. Lo1Yajing Mi2Kai Ren3Di Yang4Department of Pathology, Xi’an Medical UniversityDepartment of Ophthalmology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong KongInstitute of Basic Medicine Science, Xi’an Medical UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xi’an Medical UniversityDepartment of Ophthalmology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming Medical UniversityAbstract Diabetic retinopathy (DR), one of the common complications of diabetes, is the leading cause of visual loss in working-age individuals in many industrialized countries. It has been traditionally regarded as a purely microvascular disease in the retina. However, an increasing number of studies have shown that DR is a complex neurovascular disorder that affects not only vascular structure but also neural tissue of the retina. Deterioration of neural retina could precede microvascular abnormalities in the DR, leading to microvascular changes. Furthermore, disruption of interactions among neurons, vascular cells, glia and local immune cells, which collectively form the neurovascular unit, is considered to be associated with the progression of DR early on in the disease. Therefore, it makes sense to develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent or reverse retinal neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation and impaired cell-cell interactions of the neurovascular unit in early stage DR. Here, we present current perspectives on the pathophysiology of DR as a neurovascular disease, especially at the early stage. Potential novel treatments for preventing or reversing neurovascular injuries in DR are discussed as well.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40662-021-00239-1Diabetic retinopathyNeurovascular unitNeurodegenerationGliosisInflammationtreatment |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Shen Nian Amy C. Y. Lo Yajing Mi Kai Ren Di Yang |
spellingShingle |
Shen Nian Amy C. Y. Lo Yajing Mi Kai Ren Di Yang Neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targets Eye and Vision Diabetic retinopathy Neurovascular unit Neurodegeneration Gliosis Inflammation treatment |
author_facet |
Shen Nian Amy C. Y. Lo Yajing Mi Kai Ren Di Yang |
author_sort |
Shen Nian |
title |
Neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targets |
title_short |
Neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targets |
title_full |
Neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targets |
title_fullStr |
Neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targets |
title_full_unstemmed |
Neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targets |
title_sort |
neurovascular unit in diabetic retinopathy: pathophysiological roles and potential therapeutical targets |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
Eye and Vision |
issn |
2326-0254 |
publishDate |
2021-05-01 |
description |
Abstract Diabetic retinopathy (DR), one of the common complications of diabetes, is the leading cause of visual loss in working-age individuals in many industrialized countries. It has been traditionally regarded as a purely microvascular disease in the retina. However, an increasing number of studies have shown that DR is a complex neurovascular disorder that affects not only vascular structure but also neural tissue of the retina. Deterioration of neural retina could precede microvascular abnormalities in the DR, leading to microvascular changes. Furthermore, disruption of interactions among neurons, vascular cells, glia and local immune cells, which collectively form the neurovascular unit, is considered to be associated with the progression of DR early on in the disease. Therefore, it makes sense to develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent or reverse retinal neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation and impaired cell-cell interactions of the neurovascular unit in early stage DR. Here, we present current perspectives on the pathophysiology of DR as a neurovascular disease, especially at the early stage. Potential novel treatments for preventing or reversing neurovascular injuries in DR are discussed as well. |
topic |
Diabetic retinopathy Neurovascular unit Neurodegeneration Gliosis Inflammation treatment |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40662-021-00239-1 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT shennian neurovascularunitindiabeticretinopathypathophysiologicalrolesandpotentialtherapeuticaltargets AT amycylo neurovascularunitindiabeticretinopathypathophysiologicalrolesandpotentialtherapeuticaltargets AT yajingmi neurovascularunitindiabeticretinopathypathophysiologicalrolesandpotentialtherapeuticaltargets AT kairen neurovascularunitindiabeticretinopathypathophysiologicalrolesandpotentialtherapeuticaltargets AT diyang neurovascularunitindiabeticretinopathypathophysiologicalrolesandpotentialtherapeuticaltargets |
_version_ |
1721492173112737792 |