Exploring the Effect of the Gut Microbiome on the Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration From the Perspective of Causality.

Purpose: To explore the mechanisms relating the gut microbiome (GM) to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as they remain unclear. GM taxa that appear to act within the gut-retina axis may affect the risk of AMD.

Methods: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 196 GM taxa were obtained from the MiBioGen consortium, and a Mendelian randomization (MR) study was carried out to estimate the causality between GM taxa and AMD (defined as an endpoint based on ICD-9 and ICD-10).

The role of aldosterone in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.

Aldosterone, as a mineralocorticoid of adrenal origin, has effects that are not limited to the urinary tract. As an important regulator in Vasoactive hormone pathways, aldosterone may play an effect in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR) through the regulation of oxidative stress, vascular regulation, and inflammatory mechanisms. This implies that mineralocorticoids, including aldosterone, have great potential and value for the diagnosis and treatment of DR.

Mendelian randomization analysis reveals causal relationships between gut microbiome and optic neuritis.

Background: It is unclear whether gut microbiota (GM) affects the risk of optic neuritis (ON) through the "gut-brain" axis and the "gut-retina" axis. To examine the causal relationship between GM and ON, we conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

Methods: Up to 18,340 samples of 24 population-based cohorts were included in genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 196 GM taxa.

Causal effects of gut microbiota on diabetic retinopathy: A Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous researches have implicated a vital association between gut microbiota (GM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) based on the association of the "gut-retina" axis. But their causal relationship has not been elucidated.

Methods: Instrumental variables of 211 GM taxa were obtained from genome wide association study (GWAS), and Mendelian randomization study was carried out to estimate their effects on DR risk from FinnGen GWAS (14,584 DR cases and 202,082 controls).

Neochamaejasmin B extracted from Stellera chamaejasme L. induces apoptosis through caspase-10-dependent way in insect neuronal cells.

To explore the toxicity mechanisms of neochamaejasmin B (NCB) extracted from Stellera chamaejasme L., we first evaluated its cytotoxicity in neuronal cells of Helicoverpa zea (AW1 cells). NCB inhibited cell growth and was cytotoxic to AW1 cells in a dose-dependent manner.

Targeting long non-coding RNA MALAT1 alleviates retinal neurodegeneration in diabetic mice.

Aim: To observe the effect of inhibiting long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) on diabetic neurodegeneration.

Methods: Thirty-six 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal control, diabetic control, diabetic scrambled small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and diabetic MALAT1-siRNA groups. After diabetic induction with streptozocin intraperitoneally-injection, the diabetic MALAT1-siRNA group was intravitreally injected with 1 µL 20 µmol/L MALAT1 siRNA, and the diabetic scrambled siRNA group was injected with the same amount of scrambled siRNA.

miR-7 Reduces High Glucose Induced-damage Via HoxB3 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathways in Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of diabetes. This study investigated the effect of miR-7 in the regulation of cell proliferation via the HoxB3 gene and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways in DR.

Methods: Human retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19) cultured in normal medium (Control) and high glucose medium (25mM glucose, HG) was transfected with mimics NC (HG+ mimics NC), miR-7 mimics (HG+miR-7 mimics), inhibitor NC (HG+ inhibitor NC), and miR-inhibitor (HG+miR-7 inhibitor).