Research progress in prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy by simplex and compounds of Chinese materia medica / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

ABSTRACT

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes. It has become the main cause of adult blindness. Recent studies show that traditional Chinese materia medica (TCMM) and compounds can help the prevention and treatment of DR. The mechanism may be attributed to protection of retinal pericytes, endothelial cells and retinal neurodegeneration, reduction of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), receptor of AGEs (RAGE), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-ΚB) activation, alleviation of mitochondrial oxidative stress, and inhibition of apoptosis. In this paper, we review the recent laboratory findings of DR treated with TCMM and compounds in order to provide reference for the prevention of DR and for TCMM innovation.