Topic: vascular pericytes

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a common complication of diabetes, is a leading cause of blindness among working-age individuals worldwide. Traditionally, DR was considered primarily a microvascular complication, categorized as either nonproliferative or proliferative based on neovascularization presence. However, emerging evidence suggested that neurodegeneration plays a crucial role in DR beyond its microvascular aspects. Neurotrophic factors, such as nerve growth factor (NGF), have significant effects on neuronal survival. In the visual system, NGF influences retina and optic nerve development,