Exploring the protective effects of herbal monomers against diabetic retinopathy based on the regulation of autophagy and apoptosis: A review

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has become one of the top 3 blinding eye diseases in the world. In spite of recent therapeutic breakthroughs, it is not yet possible to cure DR through pharmacotherapy. Cell death is thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of DR. Moderate modulation of cellular autophagy and inhibition of apoptosis have been identified as effective targets for the treatment of DR. Numerous phytochemicals have emerged as potential new drugs for the treatment of DR. We collected basic DR research on herbal monomers through keywords such as autophagy and apoptosis, and conducted a systematic search for relevant research articles published in the PubMed database. This review provides the effects and reports of herbal monomers on various DR cellular and animal models in vivo and in vitro in the available literature, and emphasizes the importance of cellular autophagy and apoptosis as current DR therapeutic targets. Based on our review, we believe that herbal monomers that modulate autophagy and inhibit apoptosis may be potentially effective candidates for the development of new drugs in the treatment of DR. It provides a strategy for further development and application of herbal medicines for DR treatment.