Function of erythropoietin on glucose-induced neuronal damage in Ceanorhabditis elegans

Aims/hypothesis: Ceanorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) lacks a vascular system and is therefore a good model to discriminate mechanisms of glucose-mediated tissue damage involving the diabetic retina. Erythropoietin has been identified as prosurvival, angiogenic and neuroprotective factor in the diabetic retina via its ability to inhibit apoptosis through anti-apoptotic pathways such as PI3K-Akt pathway which negatively regulates FOXO transcription factors. We determined the function of erythropoietin in glucose-induced nerve cell dysfunction in C. elegans with respect to lifespan, neuronal function and ROS format…