2020/06/01
Keio University School of Medicine
Shizuoka Prefectural Fisheries and Marine Technology Research Centers and Institutes
Nihon University School of Medicine
In a joint study on new treatments to suppress the progression of diabetic retinopathy, a research group from the Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, including Professor Kazuo Tsubota, Senior Lecturer Toshihide Kurihara, Project Assistant Professor Yukihiro Miwa, and Collaborative Researcher Chiho Shoda, has confirmed that a water-soluble extract from certain types of fish significantly suppresses retinal pathological neovascularization by approximately 65% (p<0.000001) in a mouse model of diabetic retinopathy. The study was conducted in collaboration with Senior Researcher Kazumi Futamura and Director Kazutoshi Okamoto of the Shizuoka Prefectural Fisheries and Marine Technology Research Centers and Institutes, and Professor Satoshi Yamagami of the Department of Ophthalmology, Visual Sciences, Nihon University School of Medicine.
They found that the water-soluble extract from these fish contributes to the suppression of retinal neovascularization by inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) in the retina and reducing angiogenic factors such as VEGF and EPO.
The results of this study are new findings that suggest the active consumption of fish may prevent the progression of diabetic retinopathy. It is hoped that further development of these results will lead to new treatments for patients with diabetic retinopathy.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of the interdisciplinary general journal "Nutrients" on April 10.
For the full press release, please see below.