A Renewed Concept on Diabetic Retinopathy: Polyphenols as a Choice of Solution

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the widespread microvascular consequence of diabetes mellitus and the most common effect of blindness in people with diabetes. Existing drugs are only effective in advanced stages of DR, and long-term efficacy and safety results for these treatments have yet to be clarified in multiple clinical trials. Furthermore, a more trustworthy and effective medication that may be deemed more advantageous in managing DR is unavoidable. Polyphenols, which are plant-derived chemical compounds, may be helpful in the initial stages of DR treatment. Compounds rich in polyphenols have been shown to slow the progression of long-term consequences of diabetes, for example, heart disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, and retinopathy. Polyphenols could be used instead of traditional treatments to halt the disease's progression. It has been proposed that in vitro investigations on the effects of polyphenols on ocular vision physiology and antioxidant protection have a substantial bearing on this assertion. Among the benefits of polyphenols are scavenging the free radicals, lowering the production of advanced glycation end products, inhibiting aldose reductase, anti-inflammatory activity, and affecting ocular blood flow. The present review discussed the significance of polyphenols in preclinical and clinical research of DR-affected cellular and molecular pathways.