The role of roundabout 4 (Robo 4) in angiogenesis and vasculogenesis is controversial; however, the interdependent relationship between these two factors has not been studied in DR.
MicroRNA-411 was down-regulated in the rat model of diabetic retinopathy and played a protective role in this disease, which might be achieved by negatively regulating the expression level of ROBO4.
The RT-qPCR analysis showed that there was a significant increase in Robo4 expression under hyperglycemic conditions, while there was a decrease in expression under hypoxic and combined hypoxic and hyperglycemic conditions, suggesting that Robo4 might play different roles in various stages of DR.