2. Academic Validation
  3. Metabolic correlations between kidney and eye in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity

Metabolic correlations between kidney and eye in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity

  • BMJ Open Ophthalmol. 2025 May 1;10(1):e001955. doi: 10.1136/bmjophth-2024-001955.
Yuhang Yang 1 2 3,  Lijun Dong 2,  Hui Qi 2,  Yinsheng Zhang 4,  Yulin Zhang 3 5,  Jie Sun 2 3,  Xiaoyan Chai 2 3,  Xiaofeng Lu 2,  Zixin Fan 2,  Dongting Wu 1 3,  Guoming Zhang # 2 3,  Hetian Lei # 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
  • 2 Shenzhen Eye Hospital, Shenzhen Eye Medical Center, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
  • 3 Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
  • 4 School of Management and E-Business, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
  • 5 Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China.
  • 6 Department of Ophthalmology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China [email protected].
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 40312111 DOI: 10.1136/bmjophth-2024-001955
Abstract

Introduction: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the leading causes of babies' visual impairment and blindness. There is no effective prevention and treatment of ROP so far, and the shared genetic and developmental similarities among the brain, kidneys and retina may offer novel potential therapeutic approaches to ROP.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore a correlation of ROP patients and the renal, eye tissue of the mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR).

Methods and analysis: We used renal and vitreous untargeted/targeted metabolomics in OIR to conduct our study. Network association analysis and machine learning were performed with the above results and previous studies: retinal-targeted metabolomics of OIR and human blood-targeted metabolomics of ROP.

Results: OIR results in retinal neovascularisation and renal injury. Nine canonical signalling pathways were enriched, which are involved in the initiation and progression of pathologic retinal neovascularisation. Arginine biosynthesis emerged as a common pathway across renal, vitreous, retinal and blood metabolomics, suggesting its potential as a predictive biomarker and therapeutic target for ROP and neonatal kidney injury.

Conclusion: The presence of renal injury-related indicators may assist in diagnosing retinal neovascular diseases such as ROP. Arginine biosynthesis is the best common pathway of kidney-untargeted OIR metabolomics, vitreous- and retina-targeted OIR metabolomics and blood-targeted metabolomics of ROP, indicating that arginine biosynthesis might be the common pathway of ROP and neonatal kidney injury.

Keywords

Experimental & animal models; Neovascularisation; Retina.

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