Natural products for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration
Dongyue Wang Phytomedicine Volume 130, 25 July 2024
Highlights
• The pathogenesis of AMD is related to oxidative stress, chronic Inflammation, and neovascularization.
• Bioactive products from herbal medicines and functional foods may help AMD patients by alleviating oxidative stress, treating chronic inflammation, and slowing the development of new blood vessels.
• Research is needed to understand the effects, safety and efficacy in investigating the translational potential of NP- Bench to bedside.
• Mutiple new methods can be used in NP-related drug investigation.
• Natural plant products may represent a promising direction for the development of novel drugs in the treatment of AMD.
Background
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic retinal disease that significantly influences the vision of the elderly.
Purpose
There is no effective treatment and prevention method. The pathogenic process behind AMD is complex, including oxidative stress, inflammation, and neovascularization. It has been demonstrated that several natural products can be used to manage AMD, but systematic summaries are lacking.
Study Design and Methods
PubMed, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched using the keywords "Biological Products" AND "Macular Degeneration" for studies published within the last decade until May 2023 to summarize the latest findings on the prevention and treatment of age-related macular degeneration through the herbal medicines and functional foods.
Results
The eligible studies were screened, and the relevant information about the therapeutic action and mechanism of natural products used to treat AMD was extracted. Our findings demonstrate that natural substances, including retinol, phenols, and other natural products, prevent the development of new blood vessels and protect the retina from oxidative stress in cells and animal models. However, they have barely been examined in clinical studies.
Conclusion
Natural products could be highly prospective candidate drugs used to treat AMD, and further preclinical and clinical research is required to validate it to control the disease.
Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil
Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil. (yerba mate, YM) extract is rich in chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and quercetin, each of which has a protective effect on RPE cells (Tate et al., 2020) and is also effective at protecting retinal ganglion cells (Jang et al., 2015; Lacroix et al., 2018). According to one study, this extract can restrict the production of antioxidant enzymes via the NRF2 pathway, protecting RPE cells from oxidative stress (Tate et al., 2022).