The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin on macular pigment optical density (MPOD) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) among patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and healthy subjects. Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases was searched through May 2016. Meta-analysis was conducted to obtain adjusted weighted mean differences (WMD) for intervention-versus-placebo group about the change of MPOD between baseline and terminal point. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the changes in MPOD and blood xanthophyll carotenoids or baseline MPOD levels. Twenty RCTs involving 938 AMD patients and 826 healthy subjects were identified. Xanthophyll carotenoids supplementation was associated with significant increase in MPOD in AMD patients (WMD, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.11) and healthy subjects (WMD, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.14). Stratified analysis showed a greater increase in MPOD among trials supplemented and combined with meso-zeaxanthin. Additionally, the changes in MPOD were related with baseline MPOD levels (rAMD = −0.43, p = 0.06; rhealthy subjects = −0.71, p < 0.001) and blood xanthophyll carotenoids concentration (rAMD = 0.40, p = 0.07; rhealthy subjects = 0.33, p = 0.05). This meta-analysis revealed that lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin supplementation improved MPOD both in AMD patients and healthy subjects with a dose-response relationship.

Objective. Progranulin (PGRN) was recently introduced as a novel marker of chronic inflammatory response in obesity and type 2 diabetes capable of directly affecting the insulin signaling pathway. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between PGRN and type 2 diabetics with microvascular complications. Methods. PGRN serum levels and glucose metabolism related substance were measured in 84 type 2 diabetic patients with or without microangiopathies and 12 health persons. Further analyses of serum PGRN in different stages of diabetic microangiopathies were conducted. Results. Serum levels of PGRN were markedly higher in type 2 diabetic patients with microangiopathies. PGRN serum levels increased with the progress of diabetic microangiopathies with significantly highest values detectable in clinical diabetic nephropathy (CDN) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) groups. Serum PGRN concentrations in all individuals positively and markedly correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), triglyceride (TG), urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CRE), white blood cell (WBC), disease duration, IL-6, and TNF-α, while correlating negatively and significantly with eGFR. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that only UAER and CRE were independently associated with serum PGRN. Conclusion. PGRN might be considered as a marker for diabetic microangiopathy and its severity.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between statin use and the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A systematic search of the PubMed, EMBASE and ISI web of science databases was used to identify eligible published literatures without language restrictions up to April 2015. Summary relative ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs were estimated using a fixed-effect or random-effects model. A total of 14 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. No significant association was observed between statin use and the risk of any AMD (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.74–1.15); and stratified analysis showed that statins had a significantly different effects on early and late stages of AMD. For early AMD, statin use significantly reduced the risk approximately 17% (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.66–0.99). At the late stage, we observed a significant protective association of statin use with exudative AMD (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.80–0.99), in contrast with the absent association between statins and geographic atrophy (RR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.77–1.56). These results demonstrated that statin use was protective for early and exudative AMD. Additional large prospective cohort studies and RCTs are required to determine the potential effect of statins on AMD prevention.

No abstract

Purpose: To study the effect of autophagy on vitality, migration, and tube formation of RF/6A cells under the condition of D-glucose. Methods: Cultured RF/6A cells were randomly divided into 4 groups (control, low glucose, high glucose, and high glucose with 3-methyladenine [3-MA]). Autophagy-related proteins (Atg7, p62, and LC3) were monitored. Cell vitality, cell migration, tube formation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and apoptosis were assessed. Results: Cell vitality significantly decreased and cell migration and tube formation significantly increased in the high-glucose group (p < 0.05). Pretreatment with 3-MA significantly increased cell viability and inhibited cell migration and tube formation (p < 0.05). ROS production increased in the high-glucose group and decreased in the high-glucose with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) group (p < 0.05). The level of apoptosis increased in the high-glucose group, while it was reduced in the high-glucose with 3-MA group. Conclusion: Autophagy maybe participates in the formation of retinal neovascularization induced by high glucose.

Serum levels of chemerin were significantly increased in the NPDR and PDR group. Elevated serum level of chemerin and its positive correlation with BMI, CRP and VEGF suggested that chemerin was associated with obesity, inflammation and neovascularization and might be involved in the development of DR.

Adiponectin, one of the adipose-derived hormone with metabolic activity, has been reported to conversely affect angiogenesis of endothelial cells in vitro. The previous study in animal models has demonstrated that adiponectin has a protective role in retinal vascular injury following pathological stimuli. However, clinical research regarding the relationship between plasma adiponectin level and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adiponectin on high glucose-induced retinal angiogenesis and its association with autophagy by using rhesus choroid-retinal endothelial (RF-6A) cells as a model. We found that cell vitality decreased and cell migration and tube formation increased in the high-glucose group. Treatment with adiponectin or 3-methyladenine (3-MA, an autophagy inhibitor) increased cell viability and inhibited cell migration and tube formation. In the high-glucose group, the protein expression of Bax and apoptosis rate of cells increased and the expression of Bcl-2 decreased, whereas treatment with adiponectin or 3-MA reversed these results. Autophagy was activated in the highglucose group to present as more LC3B fluorescent dots and higher expressions of LC3B, Atg5 proteins as well as lower expression of p62. Treatment with adiponectin or 3-MA inhibited autophagy by promoting the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, and p-mTOR when compared with the high-glucose group. The results of this study suggested that adiponectin inhibits high glucose-induced angiogenesis of RF/6A cells by inhibiting autophagy, and promotion of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway might be involved in the anti-autophagy activities of adiponectin. K E Y W O R D S adiponectin, angiogenesis, apoptosis, autophagy, diabetic retinopathy

Hypoxia-induced autophagy decreased the cell viability and increased the cell migration and tube formation of RF/6A cells. 3-MA can inhibit hypoxia-induced angiogenesis of RF/6A cells in vitro. The present study suggests that autophagy plays a role in retinal and choroidal angiogenesis and the autophagy inhibitor can be a potential candidate for the treatment of choroidal or retinal neovascularization.