Study Explains Why Diabetic Retinopathy Is Difficult to Treat
Neuherberg, October 2, 2013. Damage to the retina due to diabetes
can be ameliorated only partially, despite treatment with the standard
drug metformin. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have discovered
that metformin treatment normalizes the alterations induced by diabetes
in only about half of the altered retinal proteins. The results of the
study were published in the journal Diabetologia.Retinal damage is one of the most common complications of diabetes,
affecting about 90 percent of type 1 diabetics and 75 percent of type 2
diabetics. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetic
retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults of working age,
and its incidence is showing an upward trend.The retina is the
part of the eye that converts optical images into nerve signals, which
are then transmitted to the brain where vision is interpreted. Numerous
proteins and molecules are involved in the process of signal
transduction. Diabetic retinal damage leads to impaired function of
these proteins. Within the framework of research projects of the German
Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), scientists of the Research Unit
Protein Science (PROT) and the Institute of Experimental Genetics (IEG)
at Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) have now investigated how drug
treatment affects these signal carriers. They compared the
concentrations of proteins in the retinas of non-diabetic mice, of mice
with type 2 diabetes without treatment and of type 2 diabetic mice that
were treated with the standard drug metformin, which lowers blood
glucose levels and thus reduces diabetes complications. A total of 98
proteins were differentially abundant in the diabetic animals. About
half of the proteins were normalized by treatment with metformin. The
other proteins were unchanged, however, despite treatment and improved
blood glucose levels. Among these was the protein VGLUT1, which is
essential for signal transduction in specific nerve cells.“Our
results show that normalized blood glucose levels alone are not
sufficient to fully treat diabetic retinopathy,” said Dr. Alice Ly
(PROT), lead author of the study. “In further studies we want to examine
how different combination therapies affect the retinal proteins, in
order to achieve a better understanding of the causes and treatment of
this diabetes complication,” added Dr. Stefanie Hauck (PROT).The
most common diseases in the population, such as type 2 diabetes, are
the focus of research at Helmholtz Zentrum München. The aim is to
develop new approaches to diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Source:German Research for Environment and Health
Neuherberg, October 2, 2013. Damage to the retina due to diabetes
can be ameliorated only partially, despite treatment with the standard
drug metformin. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have discovered
that metformin treatment normalizes the alterations induced by diabetes
in only about half of the altered retinal proteins. The results of the
study were published in the journal Diabetologia.Retinal damage is one of the most common complications of diabetes,
affecting about 90 percent of type 1 diabetics and 75 percent of type 2
diabetics. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetic
retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults of working age,
and its incidence is showing an upward trend.The retina is the
part of the eye that converts optical images into nerve signals, which
are then transmitted to the brain where vision is interpreted. Numerous
proteins and molecules are involved in the process of signal
transduction. Diabetic retinal damage leads to impaired function of
these proteins. Within the framework of research projects of the German
Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), scientists of the Research Unit
Protein Science (PROT) and the Institute of Experimental Genetics (IEG)
at Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) have now investigated how drug
treatment affects these signal carriers. They compared the
concentrations of proteins in the retinas of non-diabetic mice, of mice
with type 2 diabetes without treatment and of type 2 diabetic mice that
were treated with the standard drug metformin, which lowers blood
glucose levels and thus reduces diabetes complications. A total of 98
proteins were differentially abundant in the diabetic animals. About
half of the proteins were normalized by treatment with metformin. The
other proteins were unchanged, however, despite treatment and improved
blood glucose levels. Among these was the protein VGLUT1, which is
essential for signal transduction in specific nerve cells.“Our
results show that normalized blood glucose levels alone are not
sufficient to fully treat diabetic retinopathy,” said Dr. Alice Ly
(PROT), lead author of the study. “In further studies we want to examine
how different combination therapies affect the retinal proteins, in
order to achieve a better understanding of the causes and treatment of
this diabetes complication,” added Dr. Stefanie Hauck (PROT).The
most common diseases in the population, such as type 2 diabetes, are
the focus of research at Helmholtz Zentrum München. The aim is to
develop new approaches to diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
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