Vitamin D₃ Protects against Diabetic Retinopathy by Inhibiting High-Glucose-Induced Activation of the ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway

Figure 4

Vitamin D₃ attenuates the elevated BRB breakdown in diabetic rats by inhibiting VEGF expression and the TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway. (a) Retinal vascular permeability was quantified by detecting the retinal Evans blue leakage (data are the means ± SD, : DM versus NC, and ##: DM + VD versus DM, ). (b, c) Retinal VEGF protein expression was inhibited by vitamin D₃ (data are the means ± SD, : DM versus NC, and ##: DM + VD versus DM, ). (d, e) Quantitative Western blot analyses of TXNIP and the NLRP3 inflammasome in whole retinal extracts. Expression was normalized to that of β-tubulin. Data are the means ± SD, (: NC versus DM, ; ##: DM + VD versus DM, ).

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