VEGFA and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Confirming the role of miRNA dysregulation in the pathogenesis of DR, Liu and colleagues observed a significant overexpression of serum miR-221, VEGF, and angiotensin II (Ang-II) in T2D patients compared to healthy subjects and a progressive up-regulation in diabetic patients without DR, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) [17].