Publications by authors named "Natalia Martinez-Gil"

Ischemia is the main cause of cell death in retinal diseases such as vascular occlusions, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or retinopathy of prematurity. Although excitotoxicity is considered the primary mechanism of cell death during an ischemic event, antagonists of glutamatergic receptors have been unsuccessful in clinical trials with patients suffering ischemia or stroke. Our main purpose was to analyze if the transient receptor potential channel 7 (TRPM7) could contribute to retinal dysfunction in retinal pathologies associated with ischemia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers created mouse models (both heterozygous and homozygous) using CRISPR technology to study the effects of this mutation on retinal function and structure.
  • The studies revealed progressive retinal degeneration in the mice, mimicking human disease symptoms, indicating these models could be valuable for understanding disease mechanisms and testing new treatments.
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Background: Different ocular alterations have been described in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our aim was to determine whether COVID-19 affected retinal cells and establish correlations with clinical parameters.

Methods: Retinal sections and flat-mount retinas from human donors with COVID-19 (n = 16) and controls (n = 15) were immunostained.

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The purinergic receptor P2X7 (P2X7R) is implicated in all neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system. It is also involved in the retinal degeneration associated with glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, and its overexpression in the retina is evident in these disorders. Retinitis pigmentosa is a progressive degenerative disease that ultimately leads to blindness.

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Multiple gene mutations have been associated with inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs). Despite the spectrum of phenotypes caused by the distinct mutations, IRDs display common physiopathology features. Cell death is accompanied by inflammation and oxidative stress.

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Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are a large group of genetically and clinically heterogeneous diseases characterized by the progressive degeneration of the retina, ultimately leading to loss of visual function. Oxidative stress and inflammation play fundamental roles in the physiopathology of these diseases. Photoreceptor cell death induces an inflammatory state in the retina.

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A high-fat diet (HFD) can induce hyperglycemia and metabolic syndromes that, in turn, can trigger visual impairment. To evaluate the acute effects of HFD feeding on retinal degeneration, we assessed retinal function and morphology, inflammatory state, oxidative stress, and gut microbiome in dystrophic retinal degeneration 10 (rd10) mice, a model of retinitis pigmentosa, fed an HFD for 2 to 3 wk. Short-term HFD feeding impaired retinal responsiveness and visual acuity and enhanced photoreceptor degeneration, microglial cell activation, and Müller cell gliosis.

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Choroidal dystrophies comprise a group of chorioretinal degenerations. However, the different findings observed among these patients make it difficult to establish a correct clinical diagnosis. The objective of this study was to characterize new clinical findings by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in these patients.

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The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) plays a key role in retinal health, being essential for the protection against reactive oxygen species (ROS). Nevertheless, excessive oxidative stress can induce RPE dysfunction, promoting visual loss. Our aim is to clarify the possible implication of CYP2E1 in ethanol (EtOH)-induced oxidative stress in RPE alterations.

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Purpose: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a blinding neurodegenerative disease of the retina that can be affected by many factors. The present study aimed to analyze the effect of different environmental light intensities in rd10 mice retina.

Methods: C57BL/6J and rd10 mice were bred and housed under three different environmental light intensities: scotopic (5 lux), mesopic (50 lux), and photopic (300 lux).

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Background/aims: It is well established that oxidative stress and inflammation are common pathogenic features of retinal degenerative diseases. ITH12674 is a novel compound that induces the transcription factor Nrf2; in so doing, the molecule exhibits anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, and affords neuroprotection in rat cortical neurons subjected to oxidative stress. We here tested the hypothesis that ITH12674 could slow the retinal degeneration that causes blindness in rd10 mice, a model of retinitis pigmentosa.

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Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) have been a technological breakthrough in the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of many retinal diseases, thanks to its resolution and its ability to inform of the retinal state in seconds, which gives relevant information about retinal degeneration. In this review, we present an immunohistochemical description of the human and mice retina and we correlate it with the OCT bands in health and pathological conditions. Here, we propose an interpretation of the four outer hyperreflective OCT bands with a correspondence to retinal histology: the first and innermost band as the external limiting membrane (ELM), the second band as the cone ellipsoid zone (EZ), the third band as the outer segment tips phagocytosed by the pigment epithelium (PhaZ), and the fourth band as the mitochondria in the basal portion of the RPE (RPEmitZ).

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ARPE-19 retinal pigment epithelial cells cultured in a medium containing 35 mM D-glucose led to an augmented ROS formation and release of vascular endothelial factor (VEGF)-containing exosomes compared to ARPE-19 cells cultured in a medium containing 5 mM D-glucose (standard medium). Exposing these cells to the melanocortin 5 receptor agonist (MCR) PG-901 (10M), for 9 d reduced ROS generation, the number of exosomes released and their VEGF content. In contrast, incubating the cells with the melanocortin receptor MCR agonist BMS-470539 (10 M) or with the mixed MCR agonist MTII (0.

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Oxidative stress causes cellular damage by (i) altering protein stability, (ii) impairing organelle function, or (iii) triggering the formation of 4-HNE protein aggregates. The catabolic process known as autophagy is an antioxidant cellular response aimed to counteract these stressful conditions. Therefore, autophagy might act as a cytoprotective response by removing impaired organelles and aggregated proteins.

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The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a monolayer located between the photoreceptors and the choroid, is constantly damaged by oxidative stress, particularly because of reactive oxygen species (ROS). As the RPE, because of its physiological functions, is essential for the survival of the retina, any sustained damage may consequently lead to loss of vision. Exosomes are small membranous vesicles released into the extracellular medium by numerous cell types, including RPE cells.

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Purpose: Cytochrome p450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is a detoxifying enzyme with particular affinity for ethanol (EtOH) expressed in several tissues. Although CYP2E1 has been identified in human RPE, nothing is known about its metabolic activity. Expression of CYP2E1 and activity after EtOH exposure have been studied in human RPE and ARPE-19 cells.

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Diabetes and alcohol misuse are two of the major challenges in health systems worldwide. These two diseases finally affect several organs and systems including the central nervous system. Hippocampus is one of the most relevant structures due to neurogenesis and memory-related processing among other functions.

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Allopurinol is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor and antioxidant free radical scavenger which facilitates the protection of ischemic organs in part via this mechanism of action. The accumulation of free radicals during ischemia and reperfusion is in great manner overcome by inhibitors of xanthine oxidase and by the development of endogenous antioxidants. The ischemic lesion generates a well-established inflammatory response with the subsequent production of inflammatory molecules characteristically present at the first stages of the injury.

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