Ocular complications resulting from diabetes mellitus have become a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Additionally, hyperglycemia can alter the structure and function of the cornea leading to diabetic keratopathy a degenerative corneal disease commonly seen in diabetes mellitus patients. Among numerous factors required for wound healing, transforming growth factors (such as TGFβ) play a critical role.

In this NIH-funded study, Drs. Nan Gao and Fu-Shin Yu used mice to model diabetes and wound healing to compare the effects of TGFβ on corneal wound healing. Results indicated that administration of recombinant TGFβ3 accelerated wound healing in diabetic mice. Additionally, macrophages, which have been shown to participate in regulation of corneal wound healing, were significantly increased during administration of TGFβ3. This suggests that TGFβ3 may be a promising therapy for promoting corneal wound healing and treating diabetic neuropathy and keratopathy in diabetic patients.

Lack of Elevated Expression of TGFβ3 Contributes to the Delay of Epithelial Wound Healing in Diabetic Corneas - PMC (nih.gov)