Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bo-Hyun Moon, Younghwa Kim, Soo-Young Kim
Summary: Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a major cause of blindness in the elderly population. Anti-VEGF drugs have made managing nAMD more feasible, but their effectiveness is limited and can decline over time. There is a need for continuous improvement in the efficacy and safety of these drugs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Tanjina Akter, Balasubramaniam Annamalai, Elisabeth Obert, Kit N. Simpson, Baerbel Rohrer
Summary: This study investigates the potential role of the thrombin inhibitor dabigatran in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The results show that dabigatran users have a reduced risk of wet AMD diagnosis. Thrombin affects barrier function and downstream signaling, including the expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), suggesting dabigatran as a potential novel treatment option in AMD.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mayank Choubey, Puran Bora
Summary: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in adults, with significant visual disability and central vision loss. Adiponectin (APN) and its receptors (AdipoRs) play a central role in metabolic disorders and ocular pathology. This review summarizes the association of APN/AdipoRs with retinal diseases, specifically AMD and diabetic retinopathy, and presents original research on the inhibition of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in a mouse model with APN-derived peptides.
Article
Cell Biology
Manhui Zhu, Ying Wang, Linling Zhu, Shu Du, Zhenzhen Wang, Yuting Zhang, Yang Guo, Yuanyuan Tu, E. Song
Summary: The interaction between RPE cells and CECs via the ANXA1/FPR2/NLRP3 inflammasome/pyroptosis axis promotes the development of CNV, providing a potential target for the prevention and treatment of CNV.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuyan Zhou, Jacob Hum, Kaan Taskintuna, Stephanie Olaya, Jeremy Steinman, Junfeng Ma, Nady Golestaneh
Summary: It has been found that the Klotho gene can suppress aging when overexpressed in mice and accelerate aging when deleted. This study demonstrates that Klotho regulates cell viability, mitochondrial gene expression and activity, as well as RPE/retinal resistance to oxidative stress. These findings highlight the important role of Klotho in aging and retinal health.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Peng Shang, Nadezda A. Stepicheva, Haitao Liu, Olivia Chowdhury, Jonathan Franks, Ming Sun, Stacey Hose, Sayan Ghosh, Meysam Yazdankhah, Anastasia Strizhakova, Donna Beer Stolz, J. Samuel Zigler, Debasish Sinha
Summary: This study introduces a novel and efficient method for RPE explant culture, allowing for obtaining biologically relevant RPE cells in situ, which is beneficial for pharmacological and mechanistic studies. The method involves culturing RPE explants for downstream analysis, such as transduction with adenoviral constructs and chemical treatments.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Pinghui Wei, Meiqin He, Ying Wang, Guoge Han
Summary: High-fat diet accelerates choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration. This study investigates the effects of high-fat diet on retinal and retinal pigment epithelium/choroidal acylcarnitine metabolism. The results show that high-fat diet promotes weight gain, dyslipidemia, and neovascular formation, accompanied by different changes in isomerism of metabolites.
MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Wencui Wan, Wei Zhu, Yan Wu, Yang Long, Hongzhuo Liu, Weiwei Wan, Guangming Wan, Jing Yu
Summary: The study demonstrates that GSPE may alleviate RPE cellular senescence through the NAMPT/SIRT1/NLRP3 pathway, highlighting its potential effects on degenerative retinopathy.
JOURNAL OF INFLAMMATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shogo Nishida, Yuuki Takashima, Ryotaro Udagawa, Hisako Ibaraki, Yasuo Seta, Hiroshi Ishihara
Summary: This study aimed to develop a nanocarrier for the non-invasive delivery of siRNA to the retina by eyedrops. A hybrid nanocarrier based on a multifunctional peptide and liposomes was prepared and optimized. The results showed that the nanocarrier significantly enhanced siRNA transfection efficiency and effectively suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor expression in rat retinal pigment epithelium cells.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jun-Song Ren, Wen Bai, Jing-Juan Ding, Ya Zhao, Su-Yu Wang, Xi Chen, Qin Jiang
Summary: In this study, it was found that PIWIL4 is upregulated in a laser-induced CNV model and regulates angiogenesis. Differentially expressed piRNAs in the CNV model were shown to potentially regulate angiogenesis through bioinformatics analysis. Overall, PIWIL4 may serve as a novel target for blocking pathological choroidal neovascularization, and the study of the PIWI-piRNAs pathway in wAMD highlights its broad function in somatic cells.
Article
Ophthalmology
Lucie Tichotova, Hana Studenovska, Goran Petrovski, Stepan Popelka, Yaroslav Nemesh, Miroslava Sedlackova, Saskia Drutovic, Sonali Rohiwal, Pavla Jendelova, Slaven Erceg, Anna Brymova, Ana Artero-Castro, Lyubomyr Lytvynchuk, Zbynek Stranak, Zdenka Ellederova, Jan Motlik, Taras Ardan
Summary: RPE replacement is an effective modern option for saving vision in cases of retinal degeneration caused by dysfunction of the retinal pigment epithelium. Cultivating RPE cells on PDLLA nanofibrous membranes results in better maturation and long-term survival, making them a plausible source for replacing non-functioning RPEs during cell therapy.
ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Zhengwei Zhang, Xiaona Bao, Zhifeng Wu, Jie Zhang
Summary: Half-dose or reduced-fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin is recognized as an effective treatment for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). However, a case was reported where choroidal neovascularization (CNV) developed only 3 weeks after such treatment, which had not been reported before. The patient was successfully treated with intravitreal injections of aflibercept after developing CNV.
Review
Oncology
Almut Bindewald-Wittich, Frank G. Holz, Thomas Ach, Miltiadis Fiorentzis, Nikolaos E. Bechrakis, Gregor D. Willerding
Summary: Fundus autofluorescence imaging is a non-invasive technique that allows for in vivo detection of intrinsic fluorescence in the ocular fundus. It can provide topographic autofluorescence mapping and is helpful for differential diagnosis and monitoring of choroidal melanoma before and after treatment.
Article
Ophthalmology
Yuhong Chen, Xinyue Zhu, Fuxiang Ye, Hong Wang, Xiaoling Wan, Ting Zhang, Yuwei Wang, Yimin Wang, Xiaohuan Zhao, Xinyue Bai, Yushu Xiao, Xiaodong Sun
Summary: This study established a novel CNV mouse model by subretinally injecting MDA-modified POS, which simulates the AMD pathological process. Results showed that MDA-modified POS induced CNV and RPE atrophy, increased VEGF expression, disrupted RPE cell junctions, and caused autophagy-lysosomal impairment in RPE cells.
TRANSLATIONAL VISION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Yu-Hsien Chang, Chung-Hsi Hsing, Chiao-Juno Chiu, Yi-Rou Wu, Sheng-Min Hsu, Yu-Hsiang Hsu
Summary: This study found a protective effect of IL-17A in a laser-induced CNV mouse model and revealed a novel regulatory role of IL-17A-producing gamma delta T cells in the ocular microenvironment in wet AMD.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2023)
