Natural compounds and retinal ganglion cell neuroprotection

Luigi Antonio Morrone; Laura Rombolà; Maria Tiziana Corasaniti; Giacinto Bagetta; Carlo Nucci; Rossella Russo

doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.05.004

Natural compounds and retinal ganglion cell neuroprotection

Prog Brain Res. 2015:220:257-81. doi: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.05.004. Epub 2015 Jun 30.

Authors

Luigi Antonio Morrone¹, Laura Rombolà², Maria Tiziana Corasaniti³, Giacinto Bagetta⁴, Carlo Nucci⁵, Rossella Russo²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy and Health and Nutritional Sciences, Section of Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy; University Consortium for Adaptive Disorders and Head Pain (UCHAD), Section of Neuropharmacology of Normal and Pathological Neuronal Plasticity, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy. Electronic address: luigimorron@libero.it.
² Department of Pharmacy and Health and Nutritional Sciences, Section of Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy.
³ Department of Health Sciences, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy and Health and Nutritional Sciences, Section of Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy; University Consortium for Adaptive Disorders and Head Pain (UCHAD), Section of Neuropharmacology of Normal and Pathological Neuronal Plasticity, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy.
⁵ Ophthalmology Unit, Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.

PMID: 26497795
DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.05.004

Abstract

Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness in the world, is a chronic optic neuropathy often associated with increased intraocular pressure and characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons degeneration and death leading to typical optic nerve head damage and distinctive visual field defects. Although the pathogenesis of glaucoma is still largely unknown, it is hypothesized that RCGs become damaged through various insults/mechanisms, including ischemia, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, defective axonal transport, trophic factor withdrawal, and neuroinflammation. In this review, we summarize the potential benefits of several natural compounds for RGCs neuroprotection.

Keywords: Glaucoma; Natural compounds; Neuroprotection; Retinal ganglion cells.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Biological Products / therapeutic use*
Glaucoma / pathology
Glaucoma / therapy*
Humans
Neuroprotection / physiology*
Retinal Ganglion Cells / metabolism*

Substances

Biological Products