Tian Yuan, Kijlstra Aize, Webers Carroll A B, Berendschot Tos T J M
University Eye Clinic Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
University Eye Clinic Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Arch Biochem Biophys. 2015 Apr 15;572:49-53. doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2015.01.019. Epub 2015 Jan 28.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive eye disease that impairs central vision among elderly populations in Western, industrialized countries. In this review we will focus on the role of factor D (FD) and lutein in AMD. FD is a rate-limiting enzyme of the alternative complement activation pathway that may play an important role in the development of AMD. Several independent studies have shown a significant increase in the level of a number of complement factors of the alternative pathway, including factor D in the blood of AMD patients as compared to healthy individuals, which suggests a systemic involvement in the pathogenesis of AMD. FD, also called adipsin, is mainly produced by adipose tissue. Besides playing a role in the activation of the alternative pathway, FD is also known to regulate the immune system. Of interest is our preliminary finding that lutein supplementation of early AMD cases was shown to lower the level of systemic FD. If confirmed, these findings provide further support for the application of anti-factor D intervention as a new approach to control the development of this disease.
年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）是一种进行性眼病，会损害西方工业化国家老年人群的中心视力。在本综述中，我们将重点关注D因子（FD）和叶黄素在AMD中的作用。FD是替代补体激活途径的限速酶，可能在AMD的发展中起重要作用。多项独立研究表明，与健康个体相比，AMD患者血液中多种替代途径补体因子的水平显著升高，包括D因子，这表明全身参与了AMD的发病机制。FD也称为脂肪酶，主要由脂肪组织产生。除了在替代途径激活中发挥作用外，FD还已知可调节免疫系统。有趣的是，我们的初步发现表明，对早期AMD病例补充叶黄素可降低全身FD水平。如果得到证实，这些发现为应用抗D因子干预作为控制该疾病发展的新方法提供了进一步支持。
