TXNIP and diabetic retinopathy: For example, of 95 methylation sites found to discriminate between these four groups, 39 were annotated to genes previously linked to diabetes and related traits, including TXNIP. 23Increased expression of TXNIP has also been shown to cause oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in retinal cells,24 and its inhibition blocks the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.25