ABSTRACT
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss worldwide. More and more studies have suggested that glaucoma is a complicated retinal neurovascular disease. The homeostasis imbalance of retinal neurovascular unit(RNVU)composed of neurons, glial cells and microvascular cells not only induces changes in microvascular structure and glial cells, but also affects the nerve tissue of the retina, resulting in vision loss, which there is no effective treatment to reverse, currently. Exploring the cellular composition and molecular structure of RNVU and investigating the destruction mechanism of normal cellular environment and intercellular connections in glaucoma are of great significance in exploring the pathogenesis and the treatment of glaucoma. The research progress on structural changes and dysfunction of RNVU in glaucoma are reviewed, hoping to provide new ideas for the treatment of glaucoma.
ABSTRACT
Diabetic retinopathy(DR), one of the common complications of diabetes, is a major cause of blindness. Traditionally, DR has been considered primarily a microvascular disease, and as research has progressed, it is now believed that disruption of the neuro-glia-vascular unit(NVU)and imbalance in its coupling mechanisms(coupling)play a key role in the early onset of DR. Understanding the cellular and molecular basis of NVU and how diabetes alters normal cellular communication and disrupts the cellular environment is important for the early prevention and treatment of DR. This paper summarizes the retinal NVU and its involvement in the molecular mechanism of DR pathogenesis, DR treatment based on retinal NVU repair, and discusses the future prospects and problems of DR.