title: ROCK as a Therapeutic Target of Diabetic Retinopathy.
abstract: The increasing global prevalence of diabetes is a critical problem for public health. In particular, diabetic retinopathy, a prevalent ocular complication of diabetes mellitus, causes severe vision loss in working population. A better understanding of the pathogenesis and the development of new pharmacologic treatments are needed. This paper describes the relevance between Rho/ROCK pathway and the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy from its early to late stages. Moreover, the therapeutic potential of ROCK inhibitor in the total management of diabetic retinopathy is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryoichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arita
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hata
authors.forename: Tatsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishibashi