Hernandez M Rosario, Miao Haixi, Lukas Thomas
Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Prog Brain Res. 2008;173:353-73. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(08)01125-4.
Glaucoma, the second most prevalent cause of blindness worldwide, is a degenerative disease characterized by loss of vision due to loss of retinal ganglion cells. There is no cure for glaucoma, but early intervention with drugs and/or surgery may slow or halt loss of vision. Increased intraocular pressure (IOP), age, and genetic background are the leading risk factors for glaucoma. Our laboratory and other investigators have provided evidence that astrocytes are the cells responsible for many pathological changes in the glaucomatous optic nerve head (ONH). Over several years, in vivo and in vitro techniques characterized the changes in quiescent astrocytes that lead to the reactive phenotype in glaucoma. Reactive astrocytes alter the homeostasis and integrity of the neural and connective tissues in the ONH of human and experimental glaucoma in monkeys. During the transition of quiescent astrocytes to the reactive phenotype altered astrocyte homeostatic functions such as cell-cell communication, migration, growth factor pathway activation, and responses to oxidative stress may impact pathological changes in POAG. Our data also suggests that the creation of a non-supportive environment for the survival of RGC axons through remodeling of the ONH by reactive astrocytes leads to progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
青光眼是全球第二大致盲病因，是一种退行性疾病，其特征是由于视网膜神经节细胞丧失而导致视力丧失。青光眼无法治愈，但早期通过药物和/或手术进行干预可能会减缓或阻止视力丧失。眼内压升高、年龄和遗传背景是青光眼的主要危险因素。我们实验室和其他研究人员已提供证据表明，星形胶质细胞是导致青光眼性视神经乳头（ONH）许多病理变化的细胞。多年来，体内和体外技术对静止星形胶质细胞的变化进行了表征，这些变化导致了青光眼的反应性表型。反应性星形胶质细胞改变了人类和实验性青光眼猴子ONH中神经和结缔组织的稳态及完整性。在静止星形胶质细胞向反应性表型转变过程中，星形胶质细胞的稳态功能如细胞间通讯、迁移、生长因子途径激活以及对氧化应激的反应发生改变，可能会影响原发性开角型青光眼（POAG）的病理变化。我们的数据还表明，反应性星形胶质细胞通过重塑ONH为视网膜神经节细胞（RGC）轴突的存活创造了一个非支持性环境，从而导致青光眼性视神经病变的进展。
