Amyloid β (Aβ) is a pathogenic peptide associated with many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The retinal inflammation in response to Aβ is implicated in the pathogenesis of several ocular diseases including age-related macular degeneration, Alzheimer's-related optic neuropathy and glaucoma. In the present study, we found that a single intravitreal injection of oligomeric Aβ1-40 in mouse activated the NLRP3 inflammasome and the NF-κB signaling, induced the production of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α and IL-6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe novel anti-VEGF drug conbercept has been used in the treatment of several retinal neovascular diseases. Owning to the alteration of the structure, the newest drug is capable of combining more molecular targets and present higher affinity to the angiogenesis promoting factors. However, it is unknown whether it will cause any unwanted effects like other anti-VEGF agents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate whether activation of the liver X receptors (LXRs) inhibits amyloid β (Aβ) induced inflammatory and senescent responses in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.
Materials And Methods: Confluent cultures of human primary RPE and ARPE-19 cells pretreated with 5 μΜ of TO901317 (TO90), a synthetic agonist of LXR, or vehicle were incubated with 1 μΜ of Aβ or Aβ. The optimum concentrations of Aβ and TO90 were determined by cell viability assay.
Renin angiotensin system (RAS) is a key hormonal system which regulates the cardiovascular function and is implicated in several autoimmune diseases. With the discovery of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a protective axis of RAS namely ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas that counteracts the deleterious ACE/AngII/AT1R axis has been established. This axis is emerging as a novel target to attenuate ocular inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Retinal inflammation is a devastating pathological process in ocular diseases. Functional impairment of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is associated with inflammatory retinal diseases. Enhancing the protective axis namely ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas by activation of ACE2 presents anti-inflammatory properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxidative stress and inflammation are two interrelated biological events implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced under oxidative stress play a key role in pathological conditions. Inhibition of p22phox, an indispensable component of the NADPH oxidase (NOX) complex comprising the main source of ROS, plays a protective role in many ocular conditions by inhibiting the activation of NOXs and the generation of ROS.
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