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Diabetic Retinopathy

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DefinitionDiabetic retinopathy is a microvascular complication of diabetes affecting the retinal blood vessels.Risk FactorsDiabetic retinopathy is present in almost all individuals with type 1 diabetes and more than 60% of those with type 2 diabetes after two decades of disease.The risk increases with poor glycemic control, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, pregnancy, and puberty.Although cataracts and glaucoma are also more frequent in people with diabetes, retinopathy remains the leading...

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Diabetic Nephropathy

Definition Diabetic nephropathy is a chronic kidney complication that results from prolonged hyperglycemia.Prevalence It is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide, affecting up to half of individuals with diabetes.Pathophysiology • Sustained hyperglycemia triggers multiple hemodynamic and metabolic changes in the kidney. • Early in the disease, increased renal blood flow and glomerular hyperfiltration occur due to afferent arteriolar...

Complications of Diabetes Mellitus

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Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia due to insulin deficiency, resistance, or both. Prolonged hyperglycemia disrupts metabolic homeostasis and leads to acute and chronic complications.Acute ComplicationsAcute complications result from sudden metabolic imbalance.Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) mainly appears in type 1 diabetes but may also develop in type 2 diabetes, particularly under extreme stress. It arises from severe insulin deficiency,...

Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational

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Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, arises when the insulin receptors on cells lose responsiveness to insulin, diminishing the cell's capacity to take up glucose, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. To receive a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a series of blood glucose tests are necessary to assess whether the blood glucose falls within normal parameters. If the result is out of the normal range, a patient may be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic, depending on the...

Pathophysiology of Diabetes

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Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Studying Diabetes Through the Eyes of a Fish: Microdissection, Visualization, and Analysis of the Adult tg(fli:EGFP) Zebrafish Retinal Vasculature

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Diabetic embryopathy.

Ulf J Eriksson¹, Parri Wentzel

¹Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. ulf.eriksson@mcb.uu.se

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|June 7, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Diabetic embryopathy, a developmental anomaly, is studied using whole embryo culture (WEC). This method reveals that high glucose, hyperketonemia, and specific amino acids in diabetic environments cause embryo maldevelopment, which antioxidants can prevent.

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Area of Science:

Developmental biology
Reproductive medicine
Teratology

Background:

Diabetic embryopathy presents a paradox: a nutrient-rich intrauterine environment causing embryonic developmental disturbances.
Identifying teratogenic compounds and understanding dose-response relationships in diabetic pregnancies are critical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanisms underlying diabetes-induced embryonic maldevelopment using whole embryo culture (WEC).
To explore the effects of specific metabolic changes and potential therapeutic agents on embryonic development in a diabetic context.

Main Methods:

Whole embryo culture (WEC) technique to assess embryonic development under various conditions.
Culturing embryos in media with graded levels of glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) to mimic diabetic states.
Evaluating the impact of antioxidants, folic acid, arachidonic acid, inositol, and different embryonic genotypes on diabetes-induced maldevelopment.

Main Results:

Culture in diabetic serum or media with elevated glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate, or α-ketoisocaproic acid (KIC) significantly increased embryonic maldevelopment.
The addition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging agents to the culture medium effectively blocked diabetes-induced dysmorphogenesis.
Genetic studies indicated that Pax-3 downregulation predisposes embryos to diabetes-induced developmental abnormalities.

Conclusions:

Whole embryo culture is a powerful tool for linking specific embryonic maldevelopment to altered substrate levels or genotypes.
Hyperglycemia, hyperketonemia, and elevated BCAAs in diabetic environments are teratogenic, contributing to embryonic maldevelopment.
Antioxidants show promise in mitigating the teratogenic effects of a diabetic intrauterine environment, and Pax-3 plays a role in susceptibility.