Adiponectin: A "Friendly adipokine" in Diabetic Retinopathy?

PurposeAdiponectin has also been associated with diabetic retinopathy, a diabetic microvascular complication. However, the mechanism of action of adiponectin in retinopathy is still under investigation. This review summarizes emerging evidence on the association with diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes.MethodsWe reviwed papers from 2004 to 2022 and included studies related to retinopathy and its association with blood and intraocular adiponectin in type 2 diabetes.ResultsMost of the studies analyzed in this review suggested an association between the diabetic retinopathy progression and intraocular, serum, or plasma adiponectin levels. Increased levels of adiponectin contributed to the development of the disease in diabetic patients. In a minority of studies, it was indicated an inversely proportional relationship between adiponectin concentration and diabetic retinopathy severity.ConclusionThe high levels of adiponectin in diabetic patients may be related to the decrease in renal clearance. Under this situation, if the predominant isoform is globular adiponectin, this may explain the retinopathy progression, considering a pro-inflammatory response induced by this isoform. However, the actions of adiponectin in diabetic retinopathy pathophysiology are still controversial.