Molecular markers of diabetic retinopathy: Potential screening tool of the future?

Priyia Pusparajah, Learn Han Lee, Khalid Abdul Kadir

Research output: Journal PublicationReview articlepeer-review

73 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is among the leading causes of new onset blindness in adults. Effective treatment may delay the onset and progression of this disease provided it is diagnosed early. At present retinopathy can only be diagnosed via formal examination of the eye by a trained specialist, which limits the population that can be effectively screened. An easily accessible, reliable screening biomarker of diabetic retinopathy would be of tremendous benefit in detecting the population in need of further assessment and treatment. This review highlights specific biomarkers that show promise as screening markers to detect early diabetic retinopathy or even to detect patients at increased risk of DR at the time of diagnosis of diabetes. The pathobiology of DR is complex and multifactorial giving rise to a wide array of potential biomarkers. This review provides an overview of these pathways and looks at older markers such as advanced glycation end products (AGEs), inflammatory markers, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as well as other newer proteins with a role in the pathogenesis of DR including neuroprotective factors such as brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Pigment Epithelium Derived Factor (PEDF); SA100A12, pentraxin 3, brain natriuretic peptide, apelin 3, and chemerin as well as various metabolites such as lipoprotein A, folate, and homocysteine. We also consider the possible role of proteins identified through proteomics work whose levels are altered in the sera of patients with DR as screening markers though their role in pathophysiology remains to be characterized. The role of microRNA as a promising new screening marker is also discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Article number200
JournalFrontiers in Physiology
Volume7
Issue numberJUN
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Early stage retinopathy
  • Personalized medicine
  • Screening

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Physiology (medical)

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