Extensive Sub-RPE Complement Deposition in a Nonhuman Primate Model of Early-Stage Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract

The spontaneous type 2 diabetic monkeys featured with early-stage retinopathy including not only typical vascular and neural damage but also a distinct sub-RPE deposition. The complement activation of RPE cells in response to hyperglycemia might contribute to the deposition, revealing an unrecognized role of RPE cells in the early-stage pathological process of diabetic retinopathy.