Mitochondrial dysfunctions, endothelial progenitor cells and diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision loss in the working age population. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) play a vital role in vascular damage repair. This article will review recent progress regarding mitochondrial and EPC dysfunction associated with DR. EPCs represent a limited population of adult stem cells possessing vasculogenic potential postnatally; their number and function are changed in DR. Among all the function changes, mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in the dysregulation of EPCs, as mitochondria regulate energy balance, and cell fate determination. Although the mechanism for the role of mitochondria dysregulation in EPC function remains elusive, mitochondria of EPCs represent a promising target for the treatment of the vasculopathy presented within DR.