Circulating Biomarkers of Inflammation and Endothelial Activation in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Inflammation and endothelial activation play a pivotal role in development and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR), a vision-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the leading cause of blindness in the working age population. Easily accessible and validated biomarkers for DR early diagnosis and progression are required for use in clinical trials: here, we reviewed the available literature to understand the association of circulating levels of selected markers of inflammation and endothelial activation with the presence of nonproliferative and proliferative DR (NPDR and PDR) and investigate the relationship between their systemic and ocular levels. We additionally provide data synthesis and perform statistical analysis for interpretation of the collected evidence.

Cannabinoid receptor type 2 ligands: an analysis of granted patents since 2010.

The G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CBR) is a key element of the endocannabinoid (EC) system. EC/CBR signaling has significant therapeutic potential in major pathologies affecting humans such as allergies, neurodegenerative disorders, inflammation or ocular diseases. CBR agonism exerts anti-inflammatory and tissue protective effects in preclinical animal models of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, liver, kidney, lung and neurodegenerative disorders.