Levosulpiride Shows Potential of Treating Diabetic Eye Conditions

At the 8-week mark, patients in the levosulpiride group also experienced a higher proportion of positive outcomes. This included a greater number of patients gaining at least 5 ETDRS letters at 4 meters, losing more than 21 micrometers in central foveal thickness, and experiencing a reduction of more than 0.06 cubic millimeters in mean macular volume, all of which are crucial indicators of improved vision.

Additionally, the study found that levosulpiride reduced levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF) in the vitreous of PDR patients, which are known to play key roles in the development and progression of diabetic eye diseases.

Importantly, no significant adverse side-effects were detected during the study, suggesting that oral levosulpiride is well-tolerated in these patient populations.

These findings indicate that levosulpiride may work by upregulating vasoinhibin and downregulating VEGF and PlGF within the eye, potentially offering an effective therapeutic option for patients with center-involving DME. However, further research through larger clinical trials is needed to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of this treatment. Nevertheless, this study marks a significant step forward in the fight against diabetic eye conditions and raises hope for improved vision and quality of life for millions of affected individuals worldwide.

Source:

Núñez-Amaro, C. D., López, M., Adán-Castro, E., Robles-Osorio, Ma. L., García-Franco, R., García-Roa, M., Villalpando-Gómez, Y., Ramírez-Neria, P., Pineiro, N., López-Star, E., Bertsch, T., Marínez de la Escalera, G., Triebel, J., & Clapp, C. (2023). Levosulpiride for the treatment of diabetic macular oedema: a phase 2 randomized clinical trial. In Eye. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02715-5