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Diabetes Disrupts Nerve Balance in the Eye's Blood Supply, Affecting CGRP and NPY

RPEP-131472025Qin, Yuan-Jun; Zhang, Yong-Chao; Lin, Yunru; Hong, Yiyi; Sun, Xufang; Xu, Fan; Chen, Changzheng
Animal StudyLow evidence
The takeaway

Diabetic mice showed autonomic nerve imbalance in the choroid with altered levels of CGRP, NPY, VIP, and key neurotransmitter enzymes.

Nerve imbalance

Diabetes disrupted sympathetic/parasympathetic/sensory neuropeptide balance in mouse choroid

What the researchers found

Diabetes caused autonomic nerve fiber damage and altered CGRP, NPY, VIP, and neurotransmitter enzyme levels in mouse choroids.

Why it matters

Choroidal blood flow dysfunction contributes to diabetic retinopathy — understanding the nerve imbalance driving it could enable new treatments.

The numbers in context

Streptozotocin diabetic mice; altered NPY, CGRP, VIP, TH, ChAT, nNOS in choroid; nerve fiber damage on TEM; changes in SCG and TG ganglia.

How the study worked

STZ-induced diabetic mouse model with TEM imaging, mass spectrometry, western blot, qRT-PCR, and immunofluorescence.

Who was studied

Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice

What this study cannot tell us

Mouse model — human diabetic choroidopathy may involve additional factors. Single timepoint assessment.

How to read the evidence

Preclinical study with multiple analytical methods — strong mechanistic evidence for choroidal neurodegeneration in diabetes.

When this study was published

Published in 2025, revealing a new dimension of diabetic eye pathophysiology.

The bigger picture

This connects neuropeptide biology to diabetic eye disease, suggesting neuromodulatory approaches could complement current retinopathy treatments.

Questions still open

  • Could neuropeptide supplementation protect the diabetic choroid?
  • Do anti-CGRP migraine drugs affect diabetic eye disease?

Common questions

How does diabetes damage the eyes?
Beyond blood vessel damage, diabetes disrupts nerve signals (including CGRP and NPY) controlling eye blood flow, potentially worsening retinal disease.
What is the choroid?
The blood vessel layer behind the retina that supplies oxygen and nutrients — its function is controlled by autonomic nerves disrupted in diabetes.

Read the original research

Autonomic nervous system imbalance in diabetic mouse choroids.

Tissue & cell, 94, 102798

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Qin, Yuan-Jun; Zhang, Yong-Chao; Lin, Yunru; Hong, Yiyi; Sun, Xufang; Xu, Fan; Chen, Changzheng. (2025). Autonomic nervous system imbalance in diabetic mouse choroids.. Tissue & cell, 94, 102798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tice.2025.102798