Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and remains the leading cause of
blindness among the working-age population. For decades, diabetic retinopathy was
considered only a microvascular complication, but the retinal microvasculature is intimately
associated with and governed by neurons and glia, which are affected even prior to clinically
detectable vascular lesions. While progress has been made to improve the vascular
alterations, there is still no treatment to counteract the early neuro-glial perturbations in …

Inflammation is central to pathogenic processes in diabetes mellitus and the metabolic
syndrome and particularly implicates innate immunity in the development of complications.
Inflammation is a primary event in Type 1 diabetes where infectious (viral) and/or
autoimmune processes initiate disease; in contrast, chronic inflammation is typical in Type 2
diabetes and is considered a sequel to increasing insulin resistance and disturbed glucose
metabolism. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is perceived as a vascular and neurodegenerative …