Figure 3. Interleukin (IL)-22 in the supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from NDR (n=9), NPDR (n=10), PDR (n=10) and normal control subjects (n=10) were measured by ELISA. Separated PBMCs were cultured with or without Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA, 0.02%) for 48 h. Data are represented as means±SD. One-way ANOVA with a post-hoc Scheffe test demonstrated a significantly higher expression in patients with PDR than in patients with NPDR (p<0.001) and NDR (p=0.034). IL-22 production was significantly increased after PHA stimulation, with a higher upregulation in patients with PDR than in patients with NPDR (p=0.001), NDR (p=0.006) and control subjects (p=0.035).