Transcription Factor 7 Like 2 (TCF7L2) Expression Level Variation Contributes to VEGF Alteration in Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a multifactorial disease which causes blindness among people with Diabetes worldwide. It has complex pathophysiology linked to various genetic variations. TCF7L2 (Transcription factor 7 like 2) is among the most important candidate genes which play a major role in hyperglycemia and neovascularization. Neovascularization is a clinical symptom of DR associated with upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as established by numerous published articles. The purpose of this review is to highlight the role of TCF7L2 polymorphism in the development of DR via alteration in VEGF expression level. We used available published data to explain the association of TCF7L2 polymorphism with DR. We concluded that genetic studies reports revealed TCF7L2 polymorphism might be associated with DR development.