Alleviate oxidative stress in diabetic retinopathy: antioxidant therapeutic strategies.

OBJECTIVES: This review outlines the function of oxidative stress in DR and discusses therapeutic strategies to treat DR with antioxidants.

METHODS: Published papers on oxidative stress in DR and therapeutic strategies to treat DR with antioxidants were collected and reviewed via database searching on PubMed.

RESULTS: The abnormal development of DR is a complicated process. The pathogenesis of DR has been reported to involve oxidative stress, despite the fact that the mechanisms underlying this are still not fully understood. Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation can damage retina, eventually leading to DR. Increasing evidence have demonstrated that antioxidant therapy can alleviate the degeneration of retinal capillaries in DR.

CONCLUSION: Oxidative stress can play an important contributor in the pathogenesis of DR. Furthermore, animal experiments have shown that antioxidants are a beneficial therapy for treating DR, but more clinical trial data is needed.