Polymorphism of the Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Gene But not of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Gene Is a Risk Factor for Diabetic Retinopathy

Tiia Kangas-Kontio (1) , Satu Vavuli (1) , Sakari Kakko (1) , Jaana Penna (2) , Eeva-Riitta Savolainen (3) , Markku Savolainen (1) , Johanna Liinamaa (4)

1 Dept. of Internal Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital and Biocenter Oulu
2 Health Center of the City of Oulu, Oulu
3 Institute of Diagnostics, Dept. of Clinical Chemistry, University of Oulu
4 Institute of Clinical Medicine, Dept. of Ophthalmology, University of Oulu

In diabetic retinopathy, the vascular endothelium is damaged due to oxidative stress and inflammation, and vitreous VEGF concentration becomes elevated. We studied the association of diabetic retinopathy with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on two genes: VEGF, an important mediator of neovascularisation, and MnSOD, a major antioxidant enzyme.

Keywords: Vitreous; Retina; Genetics; Inflammation

Tiia Kangas-Kontio, Satu Vavuli, Sakari Kakko, Jaana Penna, Eeva-Riitta Savolainen, et al.. Polymorphism of the Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Gene But not of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Gene Is a Risk Factor for Diabetic Retinopathy. British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2009, 93 (10), pp.1401-n/a. ⟨10.1136/bjo.2009.159012⟩. ⟨hal-00477853⟩