To understand the molecular changes during the transition from diabetes mellitus to diabetic retinopathy for timely identification and intervention.
Approach:
Key Findings:
57 differentially expressed proteins were identified, enriched in energy metabolism, detoxification, and cellular defense responses.
168 differential metabolites were revealed, primarily involved in taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, and tyrosine metabolism.
Significant correlations between proteins and metabolites were found in the integrated proteomic–metabolomic analysis.
Eight candidate proteins were validated, including three previously reported in DR and five newly identified candidates.
ROC analysis showed strong discriminative performance for these proteins, with AUC values ranging from 0.853 to 0.945.
Interpretation:
The study reveals alterations in plasma proteins and metabolites during the progression from DM to DR.
Conclusion:
Integrated multi-omics analysis identified five novel candidate biomarkers.
