VEGFA and diabetes mellitus: In addition, in the rat STZ model, a nutritional supplement containing lutein, zeaxantin, and other nutrients preserved retinal function, as evaluated with ERG, and at the same time reduced the diabetes-induced increase of NF-κB activation and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) expression, while it decreased VEGF and capillary degeneration (Kowluru et al., 2014).