The retina is a tissue essential for vision, and the blood-retina barrier (BRB) helps to maintain an optimal microenvironment for the neural system in the retina. Recent findings concerning the BRB showed the involvement of transporters at the inner and outer BRB in drug and nutrient transport, suggesting their utility in the development of novel drug delivery systems to the retina. An in vitro-in vivo relationship study of permeability suggested the influx transport of verapamil, a cationic drug, across the BRB, and further in vivo and in vitro studies of cationic drugs, such as verapamil, propranolol and clonidine, revealed the involvement of carrier-mediated process in their influx transport at the BRB. Studies on substrate specificity in TR-iBRB2 cells, an in vitro model cell line of the inner BRB, suggests the involvement of novel organic cation transporter in the influx transport of cationic drugs at the inner BRB. Considering the neuroprotective effect previously reported for several cationic drugs, such as propranolol and clonidine, the study of cation transport at the BRB is widely expected to improve the treatment of retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration; blood–retinal barrier; cation transport; diabetic retinopathy; membrane transporter; neuroprotectant.