VEGFA and infection: Since the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is not the only growth factor that is dysregulated in DR and uveitis, we investigated the modulations in HREC-barrier in vitro and the underlying molecular mechanisms in response to HG, TNFα, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-bound AGE, and LPS to mimic diabetes- and infection-induced inflammation in the human retina.