Oxidative Stress as the Main Target in Diabetic Retinopathy Pathophysiology

Figure 2

Glucose metabolic pathways in the hyperglycemic milieu, oxidative stress in diabetic retinopathy, and antioxidant targets. In hyperglycemic states, different pathways were activated producing ROS which enhance inflammatory, apoptotic, and degeneration pathways, ultimately leading to the appearance of diabetic retinopathy clinical characteristics. Some antioxidant substances are able to interact with ROS (xanthophylls, vitamins C and E, and anthocyanin); others function as cofactors to enhance antioxidant enzymes (Cu, Zn, and vitamins E and C), and others are capable of inhibiting the expression of proinflammatory and prodegeneration factors (curcumin and lutein). Finally, all of them interfere in diabetic retinopathy development.