Dapagliflozin may Improve Diabetic Retinopathy, Finds Study
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness and vision impairment. In a recent study presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2021 annual meeting, researchers have reported that treatment with dapagliflozin protects from diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a chronic and progressive complication of diabetes. Dapagliflozin, a new class of anti-diabetic medication, is beneficial in reducing blood glucose; however, its role in DR remains unknown. Therefore, Dr Ashay Bhatwadekar and his team conducted a study to investigate the protective effect of dapagliflozin on the development of DR.
In this preclinical study, the researchers treated diabetic model mice (db/db mice) with dapagliflozin via diet for six months and monitored the body weight, food consumption every week. They further assessed the blood glucose, HbA1c and electroretinogram (ERG) every 2 and 6 months. At study termination, they processed the mice retinas for trypsin digestions and real-time qPCR.
They also conducted an in-vivo study using human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) by treating it with dapagliflozin concentrations of 0.1-100 uM in a logarithmic range. They assessed the cell viability using Alamar Blue Assay and, the migration response was studied using a scratch wound-healing assay.
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