A new discovery offers hope that the popular arthritis drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors may help prevent or slow retinopathy (eye disease) in people with diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common and serious eye-related complication of diabetes. It is a progressive disease that destroys small blood vessels in the retina or causes new fragile blood vessels to grow, leading to visual impairment and blindness.

The chance of developing retinopathy increases with time and almost all patients with diabetes will be affected by retinopathy after 20 years. Good control of blood glucose levels does not insure against the condition and, while it can be treated to some degree with laser therapy, there is no cure.

In an animal study funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), researchers at the University of Melbourne have found that Cox-2 inhibitors can inhibit the growth of new blood vessels in the retina by up to 45%. The highly promising results have been published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science*.

The Cox-2 enzyme is produced by the body in response to injury or inflammation. Cox-2 inhibitors, such as rofecoxib (Vioxx) and celecoxib (Celebrex), are widely prescribed for painful inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as they block production of the Cox-2 enzyme.

"Our study shows that the Cox-2 enzyme plays an important role in the formation of new blood vessels in the eye, which seriously affect vision" said lead investigator of the study, Dr Jennifer Wilkinson-Berka.

"In mice we are able to reduce the development of new blood vessels between 37 and 45 percent. The similarity between the blood vessel growth in the eyes of mice and humans suggests that Cox-2 inhibitors will be a successful, cost effective preventative treatment for retinopathy."

The next step for Dr Wilkinson-Berka and her team is to examine the effect of COX-2 inhibitor medication in an animal model of diabetes.

"The results of this study are enormously encouraging for people with diabetes," said Sheila Royles, CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

"People with diabetes are 5 times more likely to become blind than people in the general population, so it is imperative that we find new ways to prevent and treat this debilitating and irreversible condition."

JDRF is the leading non-profit funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. It was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes - a disease which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin-dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Since inception, JDRF has provided more than US$600 million in direct funding to diabetes research. JDRF's mission is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

* Wilkinson-Berka, J.L., Alousis, N.S., Kelly, D.J. & Gilbert, R.E. Cox-2 Inhibition and Retinal Angiogenesis in a Mouse Model of Retinopathy of Prematurity Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science March 2003; Vol 44 No 3 pp 974-979

For further information:

Karolyn Andrews, Media & PR Manager, JDRF
Ph. 02 9966 0400 (x203) or 0403 787 077 | email: kandrews@jdrf.org.au