Betaine inhibits vascularization via suppression of Akt in the retinas of streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats
Diabetic retinopathy is a severe microvascular complication amongst patients with diabetes, and is the primary cause of visual loss through neovascularization. Betaine is one of the components of Fructus Lycii. In the present study, the effects of betaine on the expression levels
of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxiainducible factor (HIF)1α in association with the Akt pathway were investigated in the retinas of streptozotocin (STZ)induced diabetic rats using western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. The results of the present study revealed
that the expression levels of VEGF, HIF1α, and Akt were increased in the retinas of the STZinduced diabetic rats. Betaine treatment attenuated this increase in VEGF and HIF1α expression via suppression of diabetesinduced Akt activation in the retinas of the diabetic rats. The results
suggested that betaine may potentially be used to delay the onset of complications associated with diabetic retinopathy via inhibition of retinal neovascularization in patients with diabetes.
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Department of Oriental Medical Rehabilitation, Gil Oriental Medical Hospital, College of Oriental Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon 405760, Republic of Korea 2: Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Gyeonggido 130701, Republic of Korea 3: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Gyeonggido 463721, Republic of Korea
Publication date: 01 August 2015
- Molecular Medicine Reports is a monthly, peer-reviewed journal available in print and online, that includes studies devoted to molecular medicine, underscoring aspects including pharmacology, pathology, genetics, neurosciences, infectious diseases, molecular cardiology and molecular surgery. In vitro and in vivo studies of experimental model systems pertaining to the mechanisms of a variety of diseases offer researchers the necessary tools and knowledge with which to aid the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.
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