Roles of dendritic cells in the occurrence and development of diabetic keratopathy / 中华实验眼科杂志

ABSTRACT

Diabetic keratopathy (DK) is a common ocular complication of diabetes.Long-term hyperglycemia impairs many structures of the cornea, leading to corneal opacity and visual dysfunction.A large number of researches focus on the epithelium and nerve abnormities in DK, but the pathogenesis is not completely elucidated.Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized antigen-presenting cells, linking innate and adaptive immunity, participating in the occurrence and development of diabetes and its complications.To date, there are many myths in relationship between DCs and DK to be solved, and there are a few researches that investigate the relation between DCs and the occurrence and development of diabetes.In this article, the pathogenesis and pathogenic changes of DK, the types and functions of different DCs, the relationship between DCs and chronic inflammation and delayed healing of corneal epithelium in DK, as well as the role of DCs in corneal neuropathy were reviewed in order to provide some references for further investigations about the pathogenesis and treatment of DK.