Circulating microRNA biomarkers of diabetic retinopathy

The incidence of diabetes is increasing globally, and in spite of modern treatments for glucose, blood pressure, and lipids, the vascular and neurologic complications of diabetes still occur at unacceptably high rates. The personal and economic burdens are enormous. Diabetes is a common cause for vision loss (diabetic retinopathy [DR]), renal impairment (nephropathy), peripheral and autonomic neuropathy and accelerated atherosclerosis leading to cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular disease, and premature death. People with diabetes and with early renal damage are at particularly high risk of DR, renal failure, premature cardiovascular disease, and death. Moreover, people with DR are at increased risk of other micro- and macrovascular complications of diabetes. This may relate to common risk factors and mechanisms, such as damage to the vasculature, a chronic and clinically silent process. Vascular endothelial cells are the interface between blood and surrounding tissues, with key roles in regulation of inflammation, thrombosis, and angiogenesis and therefore a popular choice as a model for assessing endothelial damage and metabolic stress.