CXCR4 and diabetes mellitus: Further, the level of CXCR4, a chemokine receptor present in the microglial cells, was evaluated by IHC, which indicated a larger distribution of CXCR4+vecells in DM retina compared to the control retinas, wherein the CXCR4 staining was almost negligible, suggesting microglial activation, and enhanced chemotaxis in diabetes (Figures 6A,B).