Midwestern University, Arizona College of Optometry, 19555 North 59th Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA.
Med Hypotheses. 2012 Apr;78(4):505-10. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.01.018. Epub 2012 Jan 30.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in industrialized countries. Although much progress has been made recently in the management of later stages of the disease, no agents have yet been developed for the early stages or for prophylactic use. Furthermore, even the treatments for the later stages have limited effectiveness. The process of developing improved treatments for AMD is complicated by the existence of several theories concerning the cause of the disorder, each suggesting a different strategy for finding effective therapeutics. One of the potential contributors to AMD pathology is retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell senescence. The present paper hypothesizes that RPE senescence plays a central role in the etiology of AMD. This hypothesis is supported by the ability of RPE cell senescence to account for the signs, risk factors, and successful treatment modalities of the disorder. This hypothesis also points to several new prophylactic and treatment strategies for AMD.
年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）是工业化国家致盲的主要原因。尽管最近在疾病晚期的治疗方面取得了很大进展，但尚未开发出用于早期或预防性使用的药物。此外，即使是晚期的治疗方法也效果有限。开发 AMD 改良治疗方法的过程很复杂，因为存在几种关于该疾病病因的理论，每种理论都提出了寻找有效治疗方法的不同策略。视网膜色素上皮（RPE）细胞衰老可能是 AMD 发病机制的一个潜在因素。本文假设 RPE 衰老在 AMD 的发病机制中起核心作用。该假说得到了 RPE 细胞衰老能够解释该疾病的体征、危险因素和成功的治疗方式的支持。这一假说还为 AMD 提出了几种新的预防和治疗策略。
