Role of the AMPK signalling pathway in the aetiopathogenesis of ocular diseases

Role of death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) in retinal degenerative diseases: an in-silico approach towards therapeutic intervention

The Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) has emerged as a crucial player in the pathogenesis of degenerative diseases. As a serine/threonine kinase family member, DAPK1 regulates critical signaling pathways, such as apoptosis and autophagy. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed DAPK1 interactors and enriched molecular functions, biological processes, phenotypic expression, disease associations, and aging signatures to elucidate the molecular networks of DAPK1. Furthermore, we employed a structure-based virtual screening approach using the PubChem database, which enabled the identification of potential bioactive compounds capable of inhibiting DAPK1, including caspase inhibitors and synthetic analogs. Three selected compounds, CID24602687, CID8843795, and CID110869998, exhibited high docking affinity and selectivity towards DAPK1, which were further investigated using molecular dynamics simulations to understand their binding patterns. Our findings establish a connection between DAPK1 and retinal degenerative diseases and highlight the potential of these selected compounds for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying DAPK1-related diseases, and offers new opportunities for the discovery of effective treatments for retinal degeneration.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Therapeutic Potential of Natural Compounds in Subarachnoid Haemorrhage

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a common and fatal cerebrovascular disease with high morbidity, mortality and very poor prognosis worldwide. SAH can induce a complex series of pathophysiological processes, and the main factors affecting its prognosis are early brain injury (EBI) and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). The pathophysiological features of EBI mainly include intense neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, neuronal cell death, mitochondrial dysfunction and brain edema, while DCI is characterized by delayed onset ischemic neurological deficits and cerebral vasospasm (CVS). Despite much exploration in people to improve the prognostic outcome of SAH, effective treatment strategies are still lacking. In recent years, numerous studies have shown that natural compounds of plant origin have unique neuro- and vascular protective effects in EBI and DCI after SAH and long-term neurological deficits, which mainly include inhibition of inflammatory response, reduction of oxidative stress, anti-apoptosis, and improvement of blood-brain barrier and cerebral vasospasm. The aim of this paper is to systematically explore the processes of neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in SAH, and to summarize natural compounds as potential targets for improving the prognosis of SAH and their related mechanisms of action for future therapies.

Treatment and prevention of pathological mitochondrial dysfunction in retinal degeneration and in photoreceptor injury

Pathological deterioration of mitochondrial function is increasingly linked with multiple degenerative illnesses as a mediator of a wide range of neurologic and age-related chronic diseases, including those of genetic origin. Several of these diseases are rare, typically defined in the United States as an illness affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. population, or about one in 1600 individuals. Vision impairment due to mitochondrial dysfunction in the eye is a prominent feature evident in numerous primary mitochondrial diseases and is common to the pathophysiology of many of the familiar ophthalmic disorders, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and retinopathy of prematurity - a collection of syndromes, diseases and disorders with significant unmet medical needs. Focusing on metabolic mitochondrial pathway mechanisms, including the possible roles of cuproptosis and ferroptosis in retinal mitochondrial dysfunction, we shed light on the potential of α-lipoyl-L-carnitine in treating eye diseases. α-Lipoyl-L-carnitine is a bioavailable mitochondria-targeting lipoic acid prodrug that has shown potential in protecting against retinal degeneration and photoreceptor cell loss in ophthalmic indications.

Altered Expressions of Transfer RNA-Derived Small RNAs and microRNAs in the Vitreous Humor of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

PURPOSE

We sought to reveal the expression profiles of transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in the vitreous humor of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

METHODS

Vitreous humor samples were obtained from PDR patients and a control group for this study. Sequencing of small RNAs was conducted to assess the expression profiles of tsRNAs and miRNAs in both groups, which was followed by validation using reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Bioinformatics analyses were conducted to predict the target genes and their potential biological functions and signaling pathways.

RESULTS

A total of 37 tsRNAs and 70 miRNAs with significant differences were screened out from the vitreous humor samples of PDR patients compared to controls. Following validation by RT-qPCR, the target genes of the validated tsRNAs and miRNAs were predicted, and Gene Ontology analysis indicated that the target genes of the tsRNAs were most enriched in the cellular macromolecule metabolic process, cytoplasm, and ion-binding, while those of the miRNAs were most abundant in the regulation of major metabolic process, cytoplasm, and protein-binding. In addition, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed that the target genes of said tsRNAs and miRNAs were most enriched in the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase signaling pathway and Th17 cell differentiation, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study identified altered tsRNAs and miRNAs in vitreous humor samples of PDR patients, which may play important roles in the pathogenesis of PDR and could be considered potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of PDR.