[Complement system and diabetic retinopathy]

The biological activities of complement system, which are activated mainly through classical pathway, alternative pathway and mannose-binding lectin pathway, include cytotoxicity, bacteriolysis, sterilization, cell regulation, immune adherence, neutralization and dissolution of virus and inflammatory mediators. It is well known that diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the common complications of diabetes mellitus and is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults in the developed countries and regions, but the mechanism underlying its pathogenesis is not yet fully understood. Until now, numbers of studies showed that the activation of complement system is involved in the pathogenesis of DR. Naturally, these finding paves a way for the prevention and treatment of DR in the future.