Xiaoli Xiang,1,2 Zhicheng Zhang,3 Wenxuan Xu,3 Zhengru Huang,2 Ji Zhang1 

1Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Key Laboratory, Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Zhengru Huang, Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, No. 68 Haiyu Nan Road, Changshu, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China, Email hzhengru@163.com Ji Zhang, Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 1055 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China, Email jizhang@suda.edu.cn

Purpose: The role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to determine whether these cells are involved in the pathogenesis of DR.
Patients and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 42 patients with type 2 diabetes and DR and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. MDSCs, including monocyte-derived (M-MDSCs) and granulocyte-derived (G-MDSCs) subpopulations, were detected via flow cytometry.
Results: The difference in the percentage of peripheral blood M-MDSCs among the three groups was statistically significant. Significant differences were observed between proliferative DR (PDR), nonproliferative DR (NPDR), and healthy controls in terms of M-MDSC percentage. No significant differences were observed between the NPDR and healthy control groups. The percentage of peripheral blood G-MDSCs did not significantly differ among the three groups. Moreover, the proportion of M-MDSCs in the peripheral blood of patients positively correlated with fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels.
Conclusion: The percentage of M-MDSCs in peripheral blood was significantly higher in the PDR group and positively correlated with fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels. Our findings suggest that M-MDSCs, particularly in the proliferative stage of DR, may serve as potential biomarkers for disease progression and offer insights into future clinical or therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: peripheral blood, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin