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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Rapid, Directed Differentiation of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells from Human Embryonic or Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: October 30, 2017
NFE2/miR-423-5p/TFF1 axis regulates high glucose-induced apoptosis in retinal pigment epithelial cells
Qing Xiao1, Yinu Zhao1, Jia Xu1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.88, Jiefang Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.
Background:
A study has shown that miR-423-5p is highly expressed in proliferative diabetic retinopathy. However, the exact biological functions and mechanisms of miR-423-5p in diabetic retinopathy (DR) progression are currently unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-423-5p in DR and the underlying mechanism.
Results:
Our data demonstrate that the expression of miR-423-5p is significantly increased in HG-induced RPE cells and DR patient plasma. Moreover, the overexpression of miR-423-5p exacerbates HG-induced apoptosis. Mechanistically, our results provide evidence that miR-423-5p directly targets TFF1. MiR-423-5p exerts its effect on HG-induced apoptosis in RPE cells through TFF1, and the NF-κB pathway is involved in the regulatory mechanism. Further analysis revealed that the transcription factor NFE2 regulates miR-423-5p promoter activity. In addition, NFE2 regulates the levels of TFF1 and NF-κB pathway-associated proteins by regulating the expression of miR-423-5p.
Conclusion:
The NFE2-miR-423-5p-TFF1 axis is a novel molecular mechanism and provides a new direction for the study and treatment of DR.
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