Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 24, 2026

An Ex Vivo Tissue Culture Model for Fibrovascular Complications in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Published on: January 25, 2019
THE ROLE OF ADIPONECTIN AND TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR 4 GENE POLYMORPHISMS ON NON-PROLIFERATIVE RETINOPATHY IN TYPE 2
C S Aioanei1, R F Ilies1, C Bala2
1"Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy - Department of Molecular Sciences, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania.
Context:
Persistent inflammation and impaired neovascularization are important contributors to the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Gene polymorphisms of adiponectin (APN) were demonstrated to have an important role on the plasma level and activity of adiponectin. APN has anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-atherogenic properties. Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) is a critical mediator of innate immunity. Polymorphisms in TLR-4 gene were shown to be associated with impaired inflammatory response in diabetes.
Objective:
The aim of the study was to analyze the association of +276G>T variant of APN gene and Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile of TLR-4 gene variants in relationship with T2DM and DR in an Eastern European population group.
Design:
The distribution of the mutant alleles in 198 T2DM patients with DR and 200 non-T2DM controls was examined. Genomic DNA from T2DM patients and healthy controls genotyped through the use of PCR-RFPL assay.
Results:
Genotype and allele frequencies of the Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms differed between T2DM patients and non diabetic subjects (P<0.001). Moreover, the presence of the minor alleles of these polymorphisms were significantly identified as protective factors against T2DM, under a dominant model of Fisher's exact test (χ2=4.988, phi=0.745, OR=0.767, 95% CI=0.602-0.867, P<0.001; respectively χ2=5.254, phi=0.820, OR=0.487, 95% CI=0.211-0.648, P<0.001). Genotype analysis for the adiponectin 276G>T gene polymorphism yielded no significant association with T2DM, but revealed a borderline significance for the association with DR (χ2=5.632, phi=0.423, OR =1.101, 95% CI=0.887-1.203, P=0.009).
Conclusions:
We found an association between the TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms and protection for DR. The APN genetic polymorphism is not associated with T2DM.
Related Concept Videos
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
Combinatorial Gene Control
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Types of Receptors: Internal Receptors
Similar to membrane-bound receptors, the binding of a ligand to the intracellular receptor of causes a conformational change in the...

