{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T20:58:50Z","timestamp":1790801930553,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":92,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,11]],"date-time":"2026-04-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775865600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100019357","name":"Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["UAA-DGIP-PIBB22-1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UAA-DGIP-PIBB22-1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100019357","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["UAA-DGIP-PIBB22-1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UAA-DGIP-PIBB22-1"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03ec8vy26","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Diabetic retinopathy (DR), recognized as a progressive neurovascular and microvascular complication of diabetes, remains one of the leading causes of visual disability worldwide, within the context of a sustained increase in ophthalmic diseases and retinal vascular disorders that compromise vision. This study aimed to characterize the progression of diabetic retinopathy in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced Wistar rat model. A single dose of 65 mg\/kg body weight was administered, with follow-up periods at 2, 4, 8, and 10 weeks, compared to healthy controls. STZ-induced rats exhibited reduced weight gain compared to the control group. They also showed markedly variable hyperglycemia, with glucose concentrations ranging from 250 to 530 mg\/dL. Histological analysis of retinal tissue at week 4 revealed early signs of vascular compromise, including early indications of a microenvironment conducive to neovascularization and edema. By week 8, retinal damage had progressed to hemorrhage, persistent edema, and layer-specific vascular disruption. At week 10, intensified neovascularization and exacerbated edema indicated advanced microvascular deterioration. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated a temporal accumulation of CD8+ T cells in the retina, correlating with photoreceptor degeneration. The coordinated dynamics of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells suggested transient immune activation during STZ-induced retinal degeneration. Gene expression profiling revealed a proinflammatory and pro-oxidative retinal microenvironment, characterized by the overexpression of angiogenic pathways and proliferative signals. Simultaneously, the antioxidant response appeared partially impaired. Collectively, these findings provide mechanistic perspective on the multifactorial nature of diabetic retinopathy. Oxidative stress, inflammation, and angiogenesis converge to disrupt retinal homeostasis. This experimental model may serve as a reliable platform for future studies aimed at elucidating disease pathophysiology, identifying novel therapeutic targets, and evaluating emerging ophthalmic antidiabetic interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27083427","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T08:49:02Z","timestamp":1776070142000},"page":"3427","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Experimental Diabetic Retinopathy in Wistar Rats Induced by Streptozotocin: A Window into Retinal Disease Progression"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1514-8230","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis Fernando","family":"Barba-Gallardo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Optometr\u00eda, Centro de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3180-2471","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manuel Enrique","family":"\u00c1vila-Blanco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Optometr\u00eda, Centro de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"},{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Centro de Ciencias B\u00e1sicas, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3083-0131","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Javier","family":"Ventura-Ju\u00e1rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Morfolog\u00eda, Centro de Ciencias B\u00e1sicas, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1961-6919","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mart\u00edn Humberto","family":"Mu\u00f1oz-Ortega","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Qu\u00edmica, Centro de Ciencias B\u00e1sicas, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruth Clarisa","family":"Murillo-Ru\u00edz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Qu\u00edmica, Centro de Ciencias B\u00e1sicas, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0402-8716","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcela","family":"Rivera-Delgadillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Qu\u00edmica, Centro de Ciencias B\u00e1sicas, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 Luis","family":"D\u00edaz-Rubio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Patronato de Banco de Ojos y Tejidos de Aguascalientes, Av. Lic. Adolfo L\u00f3pez M. Ote 1808, La Hacienda, Aguascalientes 20190, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Casillas-Casillas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Optometr\u00eda, Centro de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5036-5663","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis H\u00e9ctor","family":"Salas-Hern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Optometr\u00eda, Centro de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5139-0235","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paloma Luc\u00eda","family":"Guerra-\u00c1vila","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Optometr\u00eda, Centro de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad 940, Aguascalientes 20100, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"347","DOI":"10.1016\/j.survophthal.2012.01.004","article-title":"Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in Various Ethnic Groups: A Worldwide Perspective","volume":"57","author":"Sivaprasad","year":"2012","journal-title":"Surv. Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1629","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra1909637","article-title":"Evaluation and Care of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy","volume":"382","author":"Jampol","year":"2020","journal-title":"N. Engl. J. Med."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5407","DOI":"10.1007\/s12652-020-01963-7","article-title":"Deep neural networks to predict diabetic retinopathy","volume":"14","author":"Gadekallu","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Ambient. Intell. Humaniz. 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