Oxidative stress, innate immunity, and age-related macular degeneration

• DOI: 10.3934/molsci.2016.2.196
• Publication Date: 2016-05-11T01:43:30Z
• Authors: Peter X. Shaw; ; Travis Stiles; Christopher Douglas; Daisy Ho; Wei Fan; Hongjun Du; Xu Xiao
• Keywords: Drusen

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss affecting tens millions elderly worldwide. Early AMD characterized by the appearance soft drusen, as well pigmentary changes in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). These soft, confluent drusen can progress into two forms advanced AMD: geographic atrophy (GA, or dry AMD) choroidal neovascularization (CNV, wet AMD). Both result similar clinical progression terms central vision. The exact mechanism for developing early AMD, triggers responsible progressing to stage disease, still largely unknown. However, significant evidence exists demonstrating complex interplay genetic and environmental factors causes progression. Multiple genes and/or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found associated with including various involved complement pathway, lipid metabolism extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. Of known contributors disease risk, CFH Y402H HTRA1/ARMS contribute more than 50% risk AMD. Environmentally, oxidative stress plays critical role many aging diseases cardiovascular cancer, Alzheimer's Due exposure sunlight high oxygen concentration, burden higher eye other tissues, which be further complicated additional stressors such smoking. Increasingly, accumulating suggesting that functional abnormalities innate immune system incurred via genotypes may contributing pathogenesis altering inflammatory homeostasis eye, specifically handling oxidation products. As non-pathological instances maintains low level inflammation despite presence relative abundance potentially molecules, we previously hypothesized tight homeostatic control likely avoidance multitude potential results sensitive balance perturbations thereof would subsequently alter state retina, chronic pathologic In this review, will highlight background literature surrounding discussion mechanistic these lead particular emphasis on delicate centrality process.