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From Pathobiology to the Targeting of Pericytes for the Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy

  • Microvascular Complications—Retinopathy (JK Sun, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Pericytes, the mural cells that constitute the capillaries along with endothelial cells, have been associated with the pathobiology of diabetic retinopathy; however, therapeutic implications of this association remain largely unexplored. Pericytes appear to be highly susceptible to the metabolic challenges associated with a diabetic environment, and there is substantial evidence that their loss may contribute to microvascular instability leading to the formation of microaneurysms, microhemorrhages, acellular capillaries, and capillary nonperfusion. Since pericytes are strategically located at the interface between the vascular and neural components of the retina, they offer extraordinary opportunities for therapeutic interventions in diabetic retinopathy. Moreover, the availability of novel imaging methodologies now allows for the in vivo visualization of pericytes, enabling a new generation of clinical trials that use pericyte tracking as clinical endpoints. The recognition of multiple signaling mechanisms involved in pericyte development and survival should allow for a renewed interest in pericytes as a therapeutic target for diabetic retinopathy.

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Acknowledgments

This study received NIH grants EY005318 (P.A.D.) and EY021624 (J.A.-V.), American Diabetes Association Innovation Award 7-12-IN-11 (P.A.D.), and American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant 12SDG8960025 (J.A.-V).

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Joseph F. Arboleda-Velasquez, Cammi Valdez, Christina Kaiser Marko, and Patricia A. D’Amore declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Joseph F. Arboleda-Velasquez, Cammi N. Valdez, Christina K. Marko & Patricia A. D’Amore

  2. Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Patricia A. D’Amore

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  1. Joseph F. Arboleda-Velasquez
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  2. Cammi N. Valdez
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  4. Patricia A. D’Amore
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Correspondence to Patricia A. D’Amore.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Microvascular Complications—Retinopathy

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Arboleda-Velasquez, J.F., Valdez, C.N., Marko, C.K. et al. From Pathobiology to the Targeting of Pericytes for the Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy. Curr Diab Rep 15, 5 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-014-0573-2

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