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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2024 May 10.
Published in final edited form as: Surv Ophthalmol. 2022 Jul 29;67(6):1563–1573. doi: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2022.07.008

Table 1.

Cells involved in pathogenesis and progression of Diabetic Retinopathy

Cell Subtype Factor DM NPDR PDR Location Study Host
Neutrophil – Lymphocyte ratio - - - Blood Wang et al 2015 Human
Neutrophil (CD11b+MPO+) NET NADPH oxidase ↑↑ Blood Wang et al 2019 Human
- - Vitreous Human
- - Blood, Retina, Vitreous Rat
NET IL-6 - - Blood Menegazzo et al 2015 Human
T lymphocytes (Th1, Th2, Th17, Treg, Tfh) Tfh cells (PD-1+ CXCR5+CD4+) Bcl-6, IL-21 - - Blood Liu et al 2020 Humans and mice
Th IL-17 and IL-22 - - Blood Taguchi et al 2020 Mice
VEGF, I-CAM Vitreous
Th IL 17A Blood Chen et al 2016 Human
Th IL-4, IL-17A, IL-22, IL-31, TNFα - ↑↑ Vitreous Takeuchi et al 2015
Th IL-17, IL-10, IL-22, TNFα - ↑↑ Vitreous Takeuchi et al 2017
Th 17 IL-35 - - Blood Yan et al 2022
IL-17
Treg (CD4+CD25+ Foxp3+) Percentage of Treg ↓↓ ↓↓↓ Blood Yang et al 2015
miR-155, ↑↑ ↑↑↑
TGF-β ↓↓ ↓↓↓
Treg CTLA-4 gene polymorphism - - Blood Douroudis et al 2009
Treg CTLA-4 49A/G polymorphism - - Blood Caputo et al 2005
Treg CTLA-4 polymorphism - - Blood Shih et al 2018
Treg CTLA-4 49A/G polymorphism Not a risk factor - - Blood Uzer et al 2010
Treg CTLA4 Alanine 17 Not a risk factor - - Blood Rau et al 2001
NK T cells (CD3+CD56+) IL-4, IFNγ - - Blood Lv et al 2018
CD3+ L-Selectin - - Blood MacKinnon et al 2004
B lymphocyte (CD19+CD20+) Autoreactive B cells - - - Blood Menard et al 2011 Human
B cell IgA, IgM, - - Vitreous Liu 2020
B cell IL-10 - - Wang et al 2017
miR-19a
Monocytes/Macrophage (CD11b+CD68+) MIF, MCP-1 - - ↑↑ Aqueous Tashimo et al 2004 Human
CD11b+CD68+ CCL2, F4/80 - Retina Rangasamay et al 2014 Rats
MCP-1 TNF-α - - Retina Dong et al 2014
Monocyte Cathepsin D Retina Monickraj et al 2016 Humans and mice

DM - Diabetes Mellitus

NPDR - Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy

PDR - Proliferative diabetic retinopathy

NET - neutrophil extracellular traps

NADPH - nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate

IL - Interleukin

Tfh - follicular helper T cells

Bcl6 - B-cell lymphoma 6

Treg - regulatory T cells

miR - microRNA

ICAM-1-intercellular adhesion molecule-1

VEGF - Vascular endothelial growth factor

TGF β-Transforming Growth Factor β

CTLA - Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen

NK T cells - Natural killer T cells

IFNγ - Interferon γ

MIF - Macrophage migration inhibiting factor

CCL2 - Chemokine ligand 2

F4/80 - Macrophage marker

MCP-1 - Monocyte chemotactic protein-1

TNF-α-Tumor necrosis factor-α