Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2020 Jan;31(1):61-66. doi: 10.1097/ICU.0000000000000631.
Age-related cataract occurs when crystallin proteins in the lens partially unfold and subsequently aggregate. Physicians and traditional healers alike have been exploring pharmacologic cataract treatment for hundreds of years. Currently, surgery is the only effective treatment. However, there are an abundance of homeopathic and alternative remedies that have been suggested as treatment for cataract. This article reviews the current understanding of cataract development and discusses several homeopathic remedies purported to treat age-related cataract. Additionally, we will present an overview of evidence regarding the development of pharmacologic cataract reversal therapies.
Some homeopathic therapies have been shown to prevent cataract development in experimental models. More studies are required to elucidate the potential medicinal and toxic properties of the various alternative therapies. However, in recent years, scientists have begun to investigate substances that address cataract by reversing lens protein aggregation. One such compound, lanosterol, was reported to reverse cataract opacity in vitro and in animal models. Subsequently, 25-hydroxycholesterol and rosmarinic acid were identified as having similar properties.
Although challenges and uncertainties remain, further research has the potential to lead to the development of a nonsurgical therapeutic option for age-related cataract.
晶状体蛋白部分展开并随后聚集时，就会发生年龄相关性白内障。数百年来，医生和传统治疗师一直在探索治疗白内障的药物。目前，手术是唯一有效的治疗方法。但是，有大量顺势疗法和替代疗法被认为可用于治疗白内障。本文综述了白内障发展的现有认识，并讨论了几种据称可治疗年龄相关性白内障的顺势疗法。此外，我们还将概述有关药物性白内障逆转治疗发展的证据。
一些顺势疗法已被证明可预防实验模型中的白内障发展。需要进行更多的研究来阐明各种替代疗法的潜在药用和毒性特性。但是，近年来，科学家开始研究通过逆转晶状体蛋白聚集来治疗白内障的物质。一种这样的化合物羊毛甾醇被报道可在体外和动物模型中逆转白内障混浊。随后，发现 25-羟基胆固醇和迷迭香酸具有类似的特性。
尽管仍然存在挑战和不确定性，但进一步的研究有可能为年龄相关性白内障开发出一种非手术治疗选择。
