Objective
To investigate the effect of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on the catalase activity and the levels of malondialdehyde in cultured bovine retinal capillary pericytes (BRPs), and to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and diabetic retinopathy.
Methods
Cultured BRPs were exposed to AGEs (0, 8, 32, 125, 500, 2 000 μg/ml) for four days. Activity and the levels of catalase and malondialdehyde in cultured BRPs were examined by spectrophotometry.
Results
AGEs decreased the catalase activity, whereas increased the levels of malondialdehyde of cultured BRPs in a dose-dependent manner (r=-0.714, r=0.748, P＜0.01).There were significant differences between BRPs cultured in 32 μg/ml AGEs and in control group (P＜0.01), while no significant differences between BRPs cultured in non-glycated bovine serum albumin and absence of bovine serum albumin were found.
Conclusion
Oxidative stress may be one of the reasons why the pericyte disappears in diabetic retinopathy.
(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2002, 18: 143-145)
Objectives
To study the relationships between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase(MTHFR ) gene polymorphism and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Chinese Han race．
Methods
With polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-FLP), MTHFR gene 677 T mutation (cytosine is replaced by thymine in No. 677 site) was detected in 85 health controls, 62 with DR and 117 without DR of type 2 diabetics comfrimed by ophthalmoscope．
Results
The frequency of MTHFR variant genotypes and alleles of DR in Chinese Han race．patients were signigicantly higher than those without retinopathy and healthy controls (Plt;0．01)．
Conclusions
The results suggested that MTHFRgene C677T mutation was probably one of the genetic risk factors of diabetic retinopathy in Chinese Han rase．
(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2001,17:198-200
