New knowledge about diabetes-related vision problems to inform treatment and prevention

A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences details the role of Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) protein in diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness and visual impairment.

The results show that PTX3 acts as a molecular driver of sterile inflammation in the diabetic retina, revealing that diabetic mice deficient in the protein were protected from disease-induced visual impairments.

This study used multiple in vitro and in vivo models across three laboratories and involved researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, Humanitas University Milan and the University of Liverpool.

The researchers also found that retinas from diabetic animals lacking PTX3 showed reduced inflammation and vascular degeneration, and that PTX3 impacted multiple cell types in diabetic retinopathy, including Muller cells, astrocytes, microglia, retinal endothelial cells and neural cells.

This knowledge will help facilitate the development of new treatments and prevention strategies.

Corresponding author Professor Reinhold J. Medina, Chair of Vision and Vascular Sciences at the University of Liverpool, said: “Having identified PTX3 as a novel molecular target in the diabetic eye, the development treatment to block its accumulation in the retina is necessary.

“The striking finding that lack of PTX3 in diabetic retinas protected them from visual impairment is based on a 9-month-old diabetic mouse model. Whether this applies to humans will require further study. Further research into the specific molecular signaling triggered by PTX3 in diabetic retinas is also needed, and we hope to design a new investigation to develop a drug targeting PTX3.

“Interestingly, this study was designed with the initial hypothesis that the presence of PTX3 in the diabetic retina was beneficial. However, as the results progressed, it turned out that our hypothesis was wrong and that PTX3 promoted the disease. The rigor, quantity and quality of the research data gave us the confidence to accept this unexpected and new knowledge surrounding the biology of PTX3. »

Dr Lucy Chambers, head of research communications at Diabetes UK, said: “Eye problems are a scary and all-too-common complication of diabetes. But by revealing a new player that contributes to eye damage, this research could bring us closer to new and better treatments that help more people with diabetes avoid devastating damage to their vision. »