衰老在视网膜神经节细胞损伤中的作用及意义

Role and significance of aging in retinal ganglion cell injury

衰老是一个导致体内组织和细胞功能减退及异常的退变过程。在衰老引起的视神经退行性病变中,损伤主要发生于视网膜神经节细胞(RGCs)。通过引起能量生成障碍、氧化应激损伤、线粒体突变积累、蛋白质错误折叠积累、免疫炎症反应、神经营养因子缺乏、血流灌注不足、跨筛板压力差升高和筛板结缔组织硬化等改变,衰老增加RGCs对损伤因子的易感性,在视神经损伤及变性过程中发挥重要作用。RGCs年轻化是治疗青光眼等神经退行性疾病的关键,可以减弱,甚至逆转衰老对其造成的损害,促进RGCs的再生,为视功能保护提供了新的靶点。因此,衰老致RGCs损伤机制的研究将为神经退行性疾病的早期诊断和治疗带来新的思路。本文从衰老与RGCs损伤和RGCs年轻化的新思路2个方面就衰老在RGCs损伤中的作用及意义进行综述。

Aging is a degenerative process that leads to dysfunction and abnormalities of tissues and cells in vivo.In the retinal neural degenerative diseases associated with aging,retinal ganglion cells(RGCs)are injured and lose their function.Through interacting ways including energy generation disorders,oxidative stress damage,mitochondrial mutation accumulation,protein misfolding and aggregation,immune inflammatory response,lack of neurotrophic factors,insufficient blood flow,increased pressure difference across lamina cribrosa and sclerosis of connective tissues,the sensitivity of RGCs to damage factor might be increased,which plays an important role in the process of optic nerve injury and degeneration.Rejuvenation of RGCs is supposed to be the key to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma,which can reduce or even reverse the damage caused by aging and promote the regeneration of RGCs,providing new targets for protecting visual function.Therefore,the research on the role of aging in RGCs injury will provide a new direction for optic nerve protection strategies.From aging and RGCs damage as well as new ideas of RGCs rejuvenation,this paper reviews the role and significance of aging in RGCs damage.