Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
2nd Department of Ophthalmology, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Ophthalmologica. 2021;244(3):173-178. doi: 10.1159/000515026. Epub 2021 Feb 5.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive, multifactorial, degenerative disease and the leading cause of severe visual loss in the elderly population. The exact pathogenesis of AMD remains elusive, being the combination of genetic, environmental, metabolic, and functional processes. A better understanding of the disease's pathophysiology can lead to new treatment targets. The human microbiome seems to be a potential therapeutic pathway for AMD, as it has been recently proven to play a role in its pathogenesis.
This review sheds light on the association between the microbiome and AMD. Key Messages: The current evidence based on the existing literature shows that there are differences in taxonomical and functional profiles in the human microbiome between patients with AMD and controls, suggesting that the microbiome is implicated in AMD onset and progression, being a link between AMD and nutrition/diet. Additionally, specific bacterial classes have been proposed as potential biomarkers for AMD diagnosis. Further randomized clinical studies with a large sample are needed to elucidate the role of the microbiome in AMD and to draw more solid conclusions.
年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）是一种进行性的、多因素的、退行性疾病，是老年人群中导致严重视力丧失的主要原因。AMD 的确切发病机制仍难以捉摸，是遗传、环境、代谢和功能过程的结合。更好地了解疾病的病理生理学可以为新的治疗靶点提供依据。人类微生物组似乎是 AMD 的一种潜在治疗途径，因为最近已经证明它在其发病机制中发挥作用。
本综述探讨了微生物组与 AMD 之间的关联。关键信息：现有文献的证据表明，AMD 患者和对照组之间的人类微生物组在分类和功能特征上存在差异，这表明微生物组与 AMD 的发病和进展有关，是 AMD 与营养/饮食之间的联系。此外，已经提出了特定的细菌类别作为 AMD 诊断的潜在生物标志物。需要进一步开展具有较大样本量的随机临床试验来阐明微生物组在 AMD 中的作用，并得出更可靠的结论。
