Melatonin prevents blood-retinal barrier breakdown and mitochondrial dysfunction in high glucose and hypoxia-induced in vitro diabetic macular edema model.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a leading cause of blindness in diabetic retinopathy. Prolonged hyperglycemia plus hypoxia contributes to DME pathogenesis. Retinal pigmented epithelial cells comprise the outer blood-retinal barrier and are essential for maintaining physiological functioning of the retina.