Diabetic Retinopathy: Vascular and Inflammatory Disease

Figure 1

The role of innate immunity in diabetic retinopathy and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In patients with type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, innate immune markers and proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and prostaglandin E2, are upregulated. The cytokines then enter systemic circulation and contribute to the diabetic pathology by increasing insulin resistance and by elevating blood glucose levels.