​​Aging-US: p62/SQSTM1 coding plasmid prevents age related macular degeneration

Aging-US published a Special Collection on Eye Disease which included "p62 /SQSTM1 coding plasmid prevents age related macular degeneration in a rat model" which reported that P62/SQSTM1, a multi-domain protein that regulates inflammation, apoptosis, and autophagy, has been linked to age-related pathologies.

In retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), p62DNA administration slowed down development of destructive alterations of RPE cells, including loss of regular hexagonal shape, hypertrophy, and multinucleation. In neuroretina, p 62DNA prevented gliosis, retinal thinning, and significantly inhibited microglia/macrophages migration to the outer retina. Taken together, these results suggest that the p62 DNA has a strong retinoprotective effect in AMD.

These results suggest that the p62 DNA has a strong retinoprotective effect in AMD

Dr. Alexander Shneider and Dr. Nataliya Kolosova said, "Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in industrialized countries."

AMD is a multifactorial disease involving a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, metabolic, and functional factors. There are effective treatments of vascular complications of AMD by anti-VEGF therapeutics.

Figure 6. p62 (SQSTM1) as a mediator of several pathways. Anti-inflammatory effect of p62 can be mediated via inhibition of NF-kB pathway as well as antioxidant response and clearance of damaged proteins/organelles (e.g., mitochondria) [25–28].

Retinopathy that develops in OXYS rats even at a young age corresponds (in terms of clinical manifestations and morphological characteristics) to the dry atrophic form of AMD in humans.

The Shneider/Kolosova Research Team concluded in their Aging-US Research Output, "our data suggests that a p62-encoding plasmid might be a novel preventive and/or therapeutic agent for AMD as it maintained retinal thickness and restored RPE morphology."

Full Text - https://www.aging-us.com/article/101537/text

Correspondence to: Alexander Shneider email: ashneider@curelab.com and Nataliya Kolosova email: kolosova@bionet.nsc.ru

Keywords: p62/SQSTM1, age-related macular degeneration, inflammation, gliosis, OXYS rats, aging, retina