VEGFA and age-related macular degeneration: Additionally, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is significant in AMD progression, and one 8-week experiment found that lutein downregulated VEGF probably through decreasing the mRNA expression of Hif1α and Xbp1 genes, upregulating SOD2 in the retina of diabetic rats; and ameliorating abnormalities in ganglion cells and the inner and outer nuclear layers [52].