At 28 weeks of hyperglycemia in db/db mice, AAV9-RDH10 alleviated cardiac retinol metabolism disorder (Fig. 5b), prevented heart failure (Fig. 5c and d), attenuated myocardial injury including myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis, apoptosis, and increases in lipid deposition and mitochondria in the cardiomyocytes (Fig. 5e–g). Here, RDH10 is linked to cardiac hypertrophy.