A new study from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear has shown a slight increase in transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), which is present in preclinical animal models with diabetic eye disease, protects retinal blood vessels from damage that commonly occurs in the early stages of the disease.
According to researchers, when TGF-β was decreased, they observed significant damage to the retinal vessels of animals with diabetes. When TGF-β was increased, it defended the vessels in the retina.
Based on their findings, researchers now plan to explore if a little extra TGF-β would help protect retinal vessels in human patients with diabetes, eventually leading to targeted therapies to delay or prevent the development of diabetic retinopathy.
The study was recently published online in the American Journal of Pathology.
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Source: Massachusetts Eye and Ear