Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
05:58
Mouse Electroacupuncture Fixation Device Fabrication for Electroacupuncture Pretreatment in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Mouse Model
Published on: April 18, 2025
115
ADAMTS13 Improves Endothelial Function and Reduces Inflammation in Diabetic Retinopathy
Ahmed M Abu El-Asrar1,2, Mohd I Nawaz1, Ajmal Ahmad1
1Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11411, Saudi Arabia.
Cells
|January 24, 2025
Summary
Supplementing with ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motif member 13) protects against diabetic retinopathy. This approach reduces inflammation and vascular dysfunction in the retina.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Endocrinology and Metabolism
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision loss, characterized by microvascular damage, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction.
- The enzyme ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motif member 13) cleaves von Willebrand factor (VWF) and regulates platelet adhesion and thrombosis.
- ADAMTS13's role in diabetes-induced retinal injury is not fully understood, though it impacts vascular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the protective effects of recombinant ADAMTS13 supplementation against diabetes-induced retinal injury.
- To analyze ADAMTS13 expression and its relationship with vascular biomarkers in human diabetic retinopathy and experimental models.
- To evaluate the therapeutic potential of intravitreal ADAMTS13 in ameliorating retinal inflammation and vascular dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of epiretinal membranes and vitreous samples from non-diabetic and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients.
- In vitro studies using rat retina and human retinal glial (Müller) and endothelial cell cultures under diabetic mimetic conditions.
- Assessment of blood-retinal barrier (BRB) integrity, cell adhesion, angiogenesis, and molecular markers (VWF, CD41, VE-cadherin, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress).
Main Results:
- ADAMTS13 was expressed in endothelial cells and monocytes/macrophages in epiretinal membranes; VWF, CD41, ADAMTS13, soluble VE-cadherin, and soluble syndecan-1 were elevated in PDR vitreous.
- ADAMTS13 was downregulated in diabetic rat retinas; intravitreal ADAMTS13 attenuated BRB breakdown and inflammatory markers in vivo.
- In vitro, ADAMTS13 reduced inflammatory mediators (MCP-1, MMP-9), oxidative stress (ROS), monocyte adhesion, and endothelial cell migration in response to diabetic conditions and TNF-α.
Conclusions:
- ADAMTS13 levels are altered in diabetic retinopathy, and its downregulation in the diabetic retina suggests a protective role.
- Supplementation with recombinant ADAMTS13 demonstrates therapeutic potential by protecting the blood-retinal barrier and reducing inflammation and vascular dysfunction.
- Enhancing ADAMTS13 activity in situ offers a promising strategy to ameliorate retinal damage in diabetic retinopathy.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:28Diabetic 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...
01:22Diabetic Neuropathy
DefinitionDiabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by long-standing diabetes mellitus. It results directly from prolonged high blood sugar levels.PathophysiologyThe pathophysiology of diabetic neuropathy involves both metabolic and vascular disturbances triggered by chronic hyperglycemia.Metabolic injury: Elevated glucose levels activate the polyol pathway within nerve cells, leading to the accumulation of sorbitol and fructose. This increases oxidative stress, disrupts normal nerve...
01:27Diabetic Retinopathy
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...