Inflammatory and angiogenic biomarkers in diabetic retinopathy.

Inflammatory and angiogenic biomarkers in diabetic retinopathy. Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2020 Oct 15;30(3):030502 Authors: Kaštelan S, Orešković I, Bišćan F, Kaštelan H, Gverović Antunica A Abstract Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) and a leading cause of blindness in working-age adults in developed countries. Numerous investigations have recognised inflammation and angiogenesis as important factors in the development of this complication of diabetes. Current methods of DR treatment are predominantly used at advanced stages of the disease and could be associated with serious side effects. Therefore, new diagnostic methods are needed in order to identify the initial stages of DR as well as monitoring the effects of applied therapy. Biochemical biomarkers are molecules found in blood or other biological fluid and tissue that indicate the existence of an abnormal condition or disease. They could be a valuable tool in detecting early stages of DR, identifying patients most susceptible to retinopathy progression and monitoring treatment outcomes. Biomarkers related to DR can be measured in the blood, retina, vitreous, aqueous humour and recently in tears. As the retina represents a small part of total body mass, a circulating biomarker for DR needs to be highly specific. Local biomarkers are more reliable as indicators of the retinal pathology; however, obtaining ...
Source: Biochemia Medica - Category: Biochemistry Tags: Biochem Med (Zagreb) Source Type: research