Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) recently found very long-chain (VLC) lipids, or ceramides, in the tight junctions that connect retinal blood vessels, leading them to investigate the lipid’s role in mitigating diabetic eye damage.¹ Previously, ceramides had only been observed in the skin.

Using a diabetes-induced loss of the blood-retinal barrier as a model, they discovered long-chain fatty acids protein 4 (ELOVL4) is responsible for producing these VLC ceramides. ELOVL4 is suppressed in diabetic eye disease, and this study shows overexpression of ELOVL4 prevents vascular endothelial growth factor—and interleukin-1β—induced permeability. Delivering the protein intravitreally further reduced the diabetes-induced increase in vascular permeability.¹

“Incorporating more of the long-chain lipids into the eye could potentially be a new treatment down the road and involve injections or even eye drops,” said Julia Busik, PhD, lead author of the study and a physiology professor at MSU, in a statement on the university’s website.²