Comparison of the Effects of the Ketogenic Diet and Western Diet on the Retina in Rats with Diabetes

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of different diets on the retina in rats with diabetes mellitus (DM). Materials and Methods: In our study, a total of 4 groups were formed: healthy and regular diet (Group 1), DM-induced and regular diet (Group 2), DM-induced and ketogenic diet (KD) (Group 3), DM-induced and western diet (WD) (Group 4). Tissue sections were histo-scored using Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Caspase-3 immunohistochemical staining method. The thicknesses of the retinal layers stained with hematoxylin-eosin were compared. Results: Retinal staining with VEGF revealed a greater incidence of low-intensity staining in Group 3 (p: 0.018). There was no notable disparity observed across the groups in the staining of the retinas with Caspase-3 (p: 0.65). When the thicknesses of the retinal layers were compared, it was observed that the inner-outer nuclear, inner plexiform and ganglion layers were significantly thicker in the WD group than the other groups (p values