Methods: Fresh blood samples were collected from 69 age-matched subjects consisting of 45 patients with diabetes (with or without retinopathy) and 24 controls. <i>In vitro</i> hyperglycaemic incubations were performed to detect any changes in surface expression of markers of activation (CD69 and CD25 / IL-2 receptor). Patient and control samples underwent flow cytometry for the same markers of activation and also 4 adhesion molecules: LFA1, VLA4, ICAM-1and L-selectin. Results: <i>In vitro</i> hyperglycaemic incubations did not induce a significant change in CD69 or CD25 levels. Significantly reduced L-selectin expression was found on lymphocytes from patients with diabetes compared to controls (p=0.004). The lowest levels of expression were found in those with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (p=0.001). There were no significant differences in surface expression of the markers of activation and the other adhesion molecules studied. Increased nuclear production of L-selectin was indicated by the finding of significantly higher mRNA levels (p=0.007) in patients with DR than in those with no retinopathy. Similarly, serum L-selectin levels were significantly higher (p=0.04) in those with DR compared to controls. Lymphocyte adhesion relative to control was essentially unchanged for diabetic patients with no retinopathy but was markedly increased for those with retinopathy (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Lymphocyte activation, reduced surface LO-selectin, increased circulating and nuclear L-selectin levels, and a corresponding increase in adhesion to endothelial cells is evident in people with diabetic retinopathy. This suggests a role for lymphocyte activation in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:446086 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | MacKinnon, Jane R. |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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