Progress and perspectives on the role of RPE cell inflammatory responses in the development of age-related macular degeneration
Journal Title: Journal of Inflammation Research - Year , Vol 1, Issue
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. The etiology of AMD remains poorly understood and no treatment is currently available for the atrophic form of AMD. Atrophic AMD has been proposed to involve abnormalities of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which lies beneath the photoreceptor cells and normally provides critical metabolic support to these light-sensing cells. Cumulative oxidative stress and local inflammation are thought to represent pathological processes involved in the etiology of atrophic AMD. Studies of tissue culture and animal models reveal that oxidative stress-induced injury to the RPE results in a chronic inflammatory response, drusen formation, and RPE atrophy. RPE degeneration in turn causes a progressive degeneration of photoreceptors, leading to the irreversible loss of vision. This review describes some of the potential major molecular and cellular events contributing to RPE death and inflammatory responses. In addition, potential target areas for therapeutic intervention will be discussed and new experimental therapeutic strategies for atrophic AMD will be presented.
Authors and Affiliations
Suofu Qin, Gerard A Rodrigues
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP683315
- DOI 10.2147/jir.s4354
- Views 76
- Downloads 0
No evidence for activation of TH1 or TH17 pathways in unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from children with β-cell autoimmunity or T1D
The balance between TH1, TH2, TH17, and regulatory T cells has been suggested to be disturbed in type 1 diabetes (T1D). We investigated this balance in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from children at risk of d...
Synergistic induction of CX3CL1 by TNF alpha and IFN gamma in osteoblasts from rheumatoid arthritis: involvement of NF-kappa B and STAT-1 signaling pathways
To explore the regulation of CX3CL1 in inflammatory bone diseases, CX3CL1 expression by osteoblasts (OB) was examined. Human OB isolated from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, osteoarthritis patients, and normal indivi...
Local anesthetic failure associated with inflammation: verification of the acidosis mechanism and the hypothetic participation of inflammatory peroxynitrite
The presence of inflammation decreases local anesthetic efficacy, especially in dental anesthesia. Although inflammatory acidosis is most frequently cited as the cause of such clinical phenomena, this has not been experi...
Progress and perspectives on the role of RPE cell inflammatory responses in the development of age-related macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. The etiology of AMD remains poorly understood and no treatment is currently available for the atrophic form of AMD. Atrophi...
Neuroinflammation and tumor necrosis factor signaling in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects nearly one in two individuals over 90 years of age. Its neuropathological hallmarks are accumulation of extraneuronal plaques of a...