Previous studies have demonstrated that melatonin acts as an anti-inflammatory through a variety of mechanisms, such as, suppressing the progression of diabetic retinopathy via inhibition of p38/TXNIP/NF‐κB pathway [5]; Preventing Th17/Treg imbalance through activation of the AMPK/SIRT1 pathway to ameliorate necrotizing enterocolitis [6]. Here, TXNIP is linked to diabetic retinopathy.