Abstract
Patients with inborn errors of metabolism related to Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (
) gene variants are at an increased risk for microvascular complications resulting from diabetic retinopathy. Early intervention with targeted nutritional support, particularly folate supplementation, may help stabilize metabolic function and slow the progression of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, especially before irreversible structural damage occurs.
To assess the effects of the folate supplement Ocufolin
on serum markers in patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and mild diabetic retinopathy (MDR).
Prospective Cohort Study.
Ten patients with both MDR and
polymorphisms (
) were enrolled in the present study and received Ocufolin
to address errors in folate methylation metabolism. Patients were excluded if they had a history of other ocular or systemic diseases. Serum biomarkers associated with clinical chemistry (homocysteine, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP], myeloperoxidase [MPO], fasting insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein [HDL], low density lipoprotein [LDL], Oxidized-LDL [Ox-LDL], vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], D-Dimer, hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] and glutathione) were measured pre-and post-intervention.
Treatment with Ocufolin
resulted in a 23% decrease in serum homocysteine (
= .005), an 18% decrease in hsCRP, a 13% decrease in fasting insulin, a 15% increase in D-Dimer (
= .03) and a 47% decrease in VEGF (
= .04). Additionally, there was a 9% increase in glutathione, a 2% increase in MPO, a 6% reduction in triglycerides, a 3% increase in total cholesterol, a 4% increase in HDL, a 4% increase in LDL, an 8% increase in Ox-LDL. HbA1c did not change.
Normalizing folate metabolism through Ocufolin
significantly improved key blood-based biomarkers in patients with diabetic retinopathy. These metabolic improvements may underlie enhanced retinal perfusion and reduced oxidative stress, suggesting potential adjunctive therapeutic benefits for managing vascular retinopathies in this population.