46 SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE IN THE VITREOUS BODY OF DIABETIC PATIENTS WITH PROLIFERATIVE RETINOPAHY (PRP)

In diabetic retinopathy the vessels become fragile and the permeability over the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) increases. Decreased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the retina of long-term diabetic rats and rabbits have been reported recently. A possible consequence of this could be that generated superoxide is not removed, allowing it to react with the unsaturated fatty acids of the cell membranes.