ISSN: 2155-9570
Timothy J Lyons
Centre for Experimental Medicine School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science,
Institute for Clinical Science Block A, Grosvenor Road, Belfast BT12 6BA, Northern Ireland
United Kingdom
Review Article
Modified Lipoproteins in Diabetic Retinopathy: A Local Action in the Retina
Author(s): Jeremy Y Yu and Timothy J LyonsJeremy Y Yu and Timothy J Lyons
Clinical epidemiological studies have revealed relatively weak, yet statistically significant, associations between dyslipidemia/dyslipoproteinemia and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Recent large interventional studies, however, demonstrated an unexpectedly robust efficacy of fenofibrate on the development of DR, possibly independent of plasma lipids. To unify the apparent discrepancies, we hypothesize that plasma lipoproteins play an indirect but important role in DR, contingent on the integrity of the blood-retina-barrier (BRB). In retinas with an intact BRB, plasma lipoproteins may be largely irrelevant; however, important effects become operative after the BRB is impaired in diabetes, leading to lipoprotein extravasation and subsequent modification, hence toxicity to the neighbouring retinal cells. In this hypothesis, BRB leakage is the key, plasma lipoprotein concentrations mainly mo.. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2155-9570.1000314