REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1604315
This article is part of the Research TopicUnderstanding Chronic Inflammation: Mechanisms Behind Its PersistenceView all 6 articles
The Role of Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in the Inflammatory Pathogenesis of Diabetic Retinopathy
Provisionally accepted
Liqing Xie
Wenjian Lin*- First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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Diabetic retinopathy, a prevalent microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, is characterized by its increasing global prevalence and stands as the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in adults. The pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy involves multifactorial interactions, among which inflammatory responses play a pivotal role in disease progression. With the emergence of the "gutretinal axis" concept, growing evidence has elucidated the intricate association between gut microbiota dysbiosis and the development of diabetic retinopathy. Studies have revealed significant differences in gut microbiota composition and diversity between patients with diabetic retinopathy and those without diabetic retinopathy. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota compromises intestinal barrier integrity, thereby facilitating the translocation of intestinal metabolites into systemic circulation. This process may trigger the activation of systemic inflammatory responses, thus contributing to the pathogenesis and progression of diabetic retinopathy. This review examines the metabolic disturbances and systemic inflammatory responses induced by gut microbiota dysbiosis in diabetes, providing an in-depth analysis of how gut microbiota dysbiosis influences the inflammatory mechanisms underlying diabetic retinopathy. Furthermore, it summarizes the protective effects of anti-diabetic drugs on diabetic retinopathy by modulating the intestinal microenvironment, offering novel perspectives for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.
Keywords: Diabetic retinopathy1, inflammation2, Gut Microbiota3, gut metabolites4, microglia5. 1.Diabetic Retinopathy and Gut Microbiota
Received: 01 Apr 2025; Accepted: 23 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xie and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wenjian Lin, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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