Abbreviations used in the article.

AC	Acellular capillaries
β-GA	β-glycyrrhetinic acid
BBB	Blood Brain Barrier
BRB	Blood Retinal Barrier
CNS	Central Nervous System
Cx	Connexin
DR	Diabetic Retinopathy
GJIC	Gap Junction Intercellular Communication
HG	High Glucose
mtCx43	Mitochondrial Cx43
PL	Pericyte Loss
RPE	Retinal Pigment Epithelial
rMC-1	Rat Retinal Müller Cells
RRECs	Rat Retinal Endothelial Cells
siRNA	Small Interfering RNA
STZ	Streptozotocin
TUNEL	Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase dUTP Nick End Labeling
VEGF	Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor