Comparison of tear proteins between healthy and early diabetic retinopathy patients.

Objectives: To identify potential prognostic or diagnostic marker tear proteins for early diabetic retinopathy (DR) and to investigate the pathogenesis of this disease using proteomics techniques.

Design And Methods: The tear proteins expressed in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus without the retinopathy symptoms, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and healthy volunteers were analyzed by 2-DE. The differentially expressed proteins in patients were identified by ESI-Q-TOF and confirmed by Western blotting.

Comparative analysis of serum proteomes of patients with cardiovascular disease.

Objectives: To monitor increases or decreases in cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related proteins that will be released from the deposits or plaque on the inner wall of blood vessels.

Design And Methods: Protein profiles of sera from healthy subjects and CVD patients were determined via 2-DE. Differentially expressed spots in CVD patients were identified by ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS.

Proteomics in diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently one of the principal causes of end stage renal disease (ESRD). Approximately 40% of all diabetic patients eventually develop diabetic nephropathy (DN). The complexity of diabetes and its complications require a broad-based, unbiased, scientific approach, such as proteomics, in order to understand the progression of DN.

Proteome analysis of the rat hepatic stellate cells under high concentrations of glucose.

To study the change in hepatic stellate cell (HSC) function under diabetic conditions, we cultured rat HSC in the presence of 5 and 30 mM glucose, which correspond to blood glucose concentrations during the early and late stages of diabetes, respectively. The differentially expressed HSC proteins were analyzed using 2-DE and ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS and confirmed with Western blotting. The changed protein expression will provide greater understanding of glycolysis in HSC at the high concentration of glucose.