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Modulation of microglia in the retina: new insights into diabetic retinopathy

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Abstract

During last decades, the diagnosis of diabetes has been associated with several chronic complications such as diabetic retinopathy (DR). Recent studies of DR have revealed an inflammatory component, which precedes the detection of alterations in the visual function. During DR, the inflammatory process presents two opposite roles depending on the polarization of resident immune cells of the retina triggering proinflammatory (M1) or antiinflammatory (M2) actions. In an early stage of DR, the M2 response concurs with the M1 and is able to ameliorate inflammation and delay the progression of the disease. However, during the progression of DR, the M1 response is maintained whereas the M2 declines and, in this scenario, the classical proinflammatory signaling pathways are chronically activated leading to retinal neurodegeneration and the loss of visual function. The M1/M2 responses are closely related to the activation and polarization of microglial cells. This review aims to offer an overview of the recent insights into the role of microglial cells during inflammation in DR. We have focused on the possibility of modulating microglia polarization as a new therapeutic strategy in DR treatments.

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Acknowledgements

The research of A.M.V. laboratory has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (Grant SAF2015-65267-R MINECO/FEDER cofounded by the Fondos Europeos de Desarrollo Regional de la Unión Europea), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant INFLAMES-PIE14/00045 and CIBERdem), and European Union (FP7 HEALTH.2011.2.4.3.1, EUROCONDOR Grant Agreement Number 278040). We acknowledge all EUROCONDOR partners for support and helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alberto Sols Biomedical Research Institute (IIBm) (CSIC/UAM), 28029, Madrid, Spain

    Ana I. Arroba & Ángela M. Valverde

  2. Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Disorders (CIBERdem), ISCIII, 28029, Madrid, Spain

    Ana I. Arroba & Ángela M. Valverde

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  1. Ana I. Arroba
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  2. Ángela M. Valverde
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Correspondence to Ana I. Arroba or Ángela M. Valverde.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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All animal procedures were performed according to the Ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in this study.

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Arroba, A.I., Valverde, Á.M. Modulation of microglia in the retina: new insights into diabetic retinopathy. Acta Diabetol 54, 527–533 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-017-0984-z

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