scholarly journals The Emerging Role of Senescence in Ocular Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parameswaran G. Sreekumar ◽  
David R. Hinton ◽  
Ram Kannan

Cellular senescence is a state of irreversible cell cycle arrest in response to an array of cellular stresses. An important role for senescence has been shown for a number of pathophysiological conditions that include cardiovascular disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and diseases of the skin. However, whether senescence contributes to the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has not been studied in detail so far and the present review describes the recent research on this topic. We present an overview of the types of senescence, pathways of senescence, senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), the role of mitochondria, and their functional implications along with antisenescent therapies. As a central mechanism, senescent cells can impact the surrounding tissue microenvironment via the secretion of a pool of bioactive molecules, termed the SASP. An updated summary of a number of new members of the ever-growing SASP family is presented. Further, we introduce the significance of mechanisms by which mitochondria may participate in the development of cellular senescence. Emerging evidence shows that extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important mediators of the effects of senescent cells on their microenvironment. Based on recent studies, there is reasonable evidence that senescence could be a modifiable factor, and hence, it may be possible to delay age-related diseases by modulating basic aging mechanisms using SASP inhibitors/senolytic drugs. Thus, antisenescent therapies in aging and age-related diseases appear to have a promising potential.

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-151
Author(s):  
L.K. Moshetova ◽  
◽  
O.I. Abramova ◽  
K.I. Turkina ◽  
O.P. Dmitrenko ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donita L. Garland ◽  
Eric A. Pierce ◽  
Rosario Fernandez-Godino

AbstractThe complement system plays a role in the formation of sub-retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) deposits in early stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). But the specific mechanisms that connect complement activation and deposit formation in AMD patients are unknown, which limits the development of efficient therapies to reduce or stop disease progression. We have previously demonstrated that C3 blockage prevents the formation of sub-RPE deposits in a mouse model of EFEMP1-associated macular degeneration. In this study, we have used double mutant Efemp1R345W/R345W:C5-/- mice to investigate the role of C5 in the formation of sub-RPE deposits in vivo and in vitro. The data revealed that the genetic ablation of C5 does not eliminate the formation of sub-RPE deposits. Contrarily, the absence of C5 in RPE cultures promotes complement dysregulation that results in increased activation of C3, which likely contributes to deposit formation even in the absence of EFEMP1-R345W mutant protein. The results also suggest that genetic ablation of C5 alters the extracellular matrix turnover through an effect on matrix metalloproteinases in RPE cell cultures. These results confirm that C3 rather than C5 could be an effective therapeutic target to treat early AMD.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Pachiappan Arjunan ◽  
Radhika Swaminathan ◽  
Jessie Yuan ◽  
Mohamed Elashiry ◽  
Amany Tawfik ◽  
...  

Emerging evidence underscores an association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and periodontal disease (PD), yet the biological basis of this linkage and the specific role of oral dysbiosis caused by PD in AMD pathophysiology remains unclear. Furthermore, a simple reproducible model that emulates characteristics of both AMD and PD has been lacking. Hence, we established a novel AMD+PD murine model to decipher the potential role of oral infection (ligature-enhanced) with the keystone periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis, in the progression of neovasculogenesis in a laser-induced choroidal-neovascularization (Li-CNV) mouse retina. By a combination of fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography, we documented inflammatory drusen-like lesions, reduced retinal thickness, and increased vascular leakage in AMD+PD mice retinae. H&E further confirmed a significant reduction of retinal thickness and subretinal drusen-like deposits. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed significant induction of choroidal/retinal vasculogenesis in AMD+PD mice. qPCR identified increased expression of oxidative-stress, angiogenesis, pro-inflammatory mediators, whereas antioxidants and anti-inflammatory genes in AMD+PD mice retinae were notably decreased. Through qPCR, we detected Pg and its fimbrial 16s-RrNA gene expression in the AMD+PD mice retinae. To sum-up, this is the first in vivo study signifying a role of periodontal infection in augmentation of AMD phenotype, with the aid of a pioneering AMD+PD murine model established in our laboratory.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rawshan Choudhury ◽  
Nadhim Bayatti ◽  
Richard Scharff ◽  
Ewa Szula ◽  
Viranga Tilakaratna ◽  
...  

AbstractRetinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells that underlie the neurosensory retina are essential for the maintenance of photoreceptor cells and hence vision. Interactions between the RPE and their basement membrane, i.e. the inner layer of Bruch’s membrane, are essential for RPE cell health and function, but the signals induced by Bruch’s membrane engagement, and their contributions to RPE cell fate determination remain poorly defined. Here, we studied the functional role of the soluble complement regulator and component of Bruch’s membrane, Factor H-like protein 1 (FHL-1). Human primary RPE cells adhered to FHL-1 in a manner that was eliminated by either mutagenesis of the integrin-binding RGD motif in FHL-1 or by using competing antibodies directed against the α5 and β1 integrin subunits. These short-term experiments reveal an immediate protein-integrin interaction that were obtained from primary RPE cells and replicated using the hTERT-RPE1 cell line. Separate, longer term experiments utilising RNAseq analysis of hTERT-RPE1 cells bound to FHL-1, showed an increased expression of the heat-shock protein genes HSPA6, CRYAB, HSPA1A and HSPA1B when compared to cells bound to fibronectin (FN) or laminin (LA). Pathway analysis implicated changes in EIF2 signalling, the unfolded protein response, and mineralocorticoid receptor signalling as putative pathways. Subsequent cell survival assays using H2O2 to induce oxidative stress-induced cell death suggest hTERT-RPE1 cells had significantly greater protection when bound to FHL-1 or LA compared to plastic or FN. These data show a non-canonical role of FHL-1 in protecting RPE cells against oxidative stress and identifies a novel interaction that has implications for ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1222
Author(s):  
Domitilla Mandatori ◽  
Letizia Pelusi ◽  
Valeria Schiavone ◽  
Caterina Pipino ◽  
Natalia Di Pietro ◽  
...  

Osteoporosis (OP) and vascular calcification (VC) represent relevant health problems that frequently coexist in the elderly population. Traditionally, they have been considered independent processes, and mainly age-related. However, an increasing number of studies have reported their possible direct correlation, commonly defined as “bone-vascular crosstalk”. Vitamin K2 (VitK2), a family of several natural isoforms also known as menaquinones (MK), has recently received particular attention for its role in maintaining calcium homeostasis. In particular, VitK2 deficiency seems to be responsible of the so-called “calcium paradox” phenomenon, characterized by low calcium deposition in the bone and its accumulation in the vessel wall. Since these events may have important clinical consequences, and the role of VitK2 in bone-vascular crosstalk has only partially been explained, this review focuses on its effects on the bone and vascular system by providing a more recent literature update. Overall, the findings reported here propose the VitK2 family as natural bioactive molecules that could be able to play an important role in the prevention of bone loss and vascular calcification, thus encouraging further in-depth studies to achieve its use as a dietary food supplement.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1296
Author(s):  
Yue Ruan ◽  
Subao Jiang ◽  
Adrian Gericke

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common irreversible ocular disease characterized by vision impairment among older people. Many risk factors are related to AMD and interact with each other in its pathogenesis. Notably, oxidative stress and choroidal vascular dysfunction were suggested to be critically involved in AMD pathogenesis. In this review, we give an overview on the factors contributing to the pathophysiology of this multifactorial disease and discuss the role of reactive oxygen species and vascular function in more detail. Moreover, we give an overview on therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from AMD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 699-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hassan ◽  
Rubbia Afridi ◽  
Mohammad Ali Sadiq ◽  
Mohamed Kamel Soliman ◽  
Aniruddha Agarwal ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2072
Author(s):  
Phoebe Lin ◽  
Scott M. McClintic ◽  
Urooba Nadeem ◽  
Dimitra Skondra

Blindness from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an escalating problem, yet AMD pathogenesis is incompletely understood and treatments are limited. The intestinal microbiota is highly influential in ocular and extraocular diseases with inflammatory components, such as AMD. This article reviews data supporting the role of the intestinal microbiota in AMD pathogenesis. Multiple groups have found an intestinal dysbiosis in advanced AMD. There is growing evidence that environmental factors associated with AMD progression potentially work through the intestinal microbiota. A high-fat diet in apo-E-/- mice exacerbated wet and dry AMD features, presumably through changes in the intestinal microbiome, though other independent mechanisms related to lipid metabolism are also likely at play. AREDS supplementation reversed some adverse intestinal microbial changes in AMD patients. Part of the mechanism of intestinal microbial effects on retinal disease progression is via microbiota-induced microglial activation. The microbiota are at the intersection of genetics and AMD. Higher genetic risk was associated with lower intestinal bacterial diversity in AMD. Microbiota-induced metabolite production and gene expression occur in pathways important in AMD pathogenesis. These studies suggest a crucial link between the intestinal microbiota and AMD pathogenesis, thus providing a novel potential therapeutic target. Thus, the need for large longitudinal studies in patients and germ-free or gnotobiotic animal models has never been more pressing.


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