Novel mitochondrial therapies for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration

The purpose of this article is to review current literature and data regarding treatment options for age-related macular degeneration(AMD)related to mitochondrial therapy.This article considers the presence of flavoprotein fluorescence as a potential biomarker to test the effectiveness of the treatments.We focus primarily on two major mitochondrial targets,nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor(NFE2L2)and PGC-1α,that function in controlling the production and effects of reactive oxidative species(ROS)directly in the mitochondria.PU-91 is an FDA approved drug that directly targets and upregulates PGC-1αin AMD cybrid cell lines.Although neither NFE2L2 nor PGC1-αhave yet been tested in clinical trials,their effects have been studied in rodent models and offer promising results.MTP-131,or elamipretide®,and metformin are two drugs in phase II clinical trials that focus on the treatment of advanced,non-exudative AMD.MTP-131 functions by associating with cardiolipin(CL)whereas metformin targets adenosine-monophosphate protein kinase(AMPK)in the mitochondria.The current results of their clinical trials are elucidated in this article.The molecular targets and drugs reviewed in this article show promising results in the treatment of AMD.These targets can be further pursued to improve and refine treatment practices of this diagnosis.

Recent Developments in the Treatment of Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration(AMD)is the most common cause of irreversible blindness and visual impairment in individuals over the age of 50 years in western societies.More than 25 million people currently suffer from this illness in the world,with an additional 500000 every year,approximately.It is a multifactorial ocular disease that affects the maculae due to a late-onset progressive neurodegeneration and dysfunction of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium(RPE).There are many subtypes of AMD but basically two broad forms:the nonneovascular(dry,nonexudative)and neovascular(wet,exudative).Exudative AMD is the less common form(about 15%)but tends to progress more rapidly.At the moment,wet AMD is treated primarily on the basis of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)agents,which have led to massive improvement in the prognosis of the disease since they were first introduced.This article focuses on the latest treatment approaches to neovascular AMD.An extensive literature review was performed in order to illustrate the effectiveness of current and future anti-VEGF agents as well as the landmark clinical studies that have been carried out to establish these drugs as a gold standard in the therapy of wet AMD.