[Molecular basis of diabetic retinopathy]

Civilization-related diseases are an increasingly frequent problem of ours times. Among these,eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, are found to be a very serious problem in chronic complications of diabetes mellitus. The mechanisms involved in susceptibility to and the progression of diabetic retinopathy remain unclear. Much evidence suggests that diabetic retinopathy may be associated with gene polymorphisms of factors involved in angiogenesis, including the VEGF, SDH, AR, SDF-1, and TIMP-3 genes. Especially polymorphisms of the promotor regions of the VEGF (634 C/G) and SDH (1214 C/G) genes might contribute to the development of diabetic retinopathy. It is believed that an understanding of the molecular basis of diabetic retinopathy might help in designing new therapeutic approaches for human treatment.