TY - JOUR AB - Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most prevalent microvascular complications of diabetes, and a common cause of blindness in working‑age individuals. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation has been considered a promising intervention therapy for DR, wherein the differentiation of MSCs into nerve cells plays an essential role. However, research into the role of MSCs in DR treatment remains incomplete, and the mechanisms of retinal repair at the molecular level have yet to be clarified. In the present study, all‑trans retinoic acid (ATRA) was used to promote the proliferation of rat umbilical cord (UC)‑derived MSCs and their differentiation into nerve cells. Furthermore, the effects and mechanisms of UC‑MSCs with or without ATRA treatment were investigated in rats subjected to streptozocin (STZ)‑induced DR. The results demonstrated that the transplantation of UC‑MSCs treated with or without ATRA attenuated DR in rats, and alleviated retinal tissue damage and apoptosis. In addition, the transplantation of UC‑MSCs treated with or without ATRA attenuated angiogenesis and inflammation in the retina by regulating the levels of relevant cytokines. UC‑MSCs treated with ATRA exerted a more prominent therapeutic effect than the untreated UC‑MSCs. On the whole, these findings indicate that UC‑MSCs alleviate STZ‑induced DR in rats by regulating angiogenesis and the inflammatory response at the molecular level. Thus, the findings of the present study may provide a theoretical basis for the application of MSCs in the treatment of DR. AD - Department of Ophthalmology, People's Hospital of Daye, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hubei Polytechnic College, Daye, Hubei 435100, P.R. China Wuhan Myhalic Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Wuhan, Hubei 430206, P.R. China Department of Ophthalmology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China AU - Zhao,Ken AU - Liu,Jie AU - Dong,Gang AU - Xia,Huan AU - Wang,Pingan AU - Xiao,Xuan AU - Chen,Zhen DA - 2020/08/01 DO - 10.3892/ijmm.2020.4623 EP - 858 IS - 2 JO - Int J Mol Med PY - 2020 SN - 1107-3756 1791-244X SP - 849 ST - Preliminary research on the effects and mechanisms of umbilical cord‑derived mesenchymal stem cells in streptozotocin‑induced diabetic retinopathy Corrigendum in /10.3892/ijmm.2020.4708 T2 - International Journal of Molecular Medicine TI - Preliminary research on the effects and mechanisms of umbilical cord‑derived mesenchymal stem cells in streptozotocin‑induced diabetic retinopathy Corrigendum in /10.3892/ijmm.2020.4708 UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2020.4623 VL - 46 ER -