Pharmaceutical composition for treating macular degeneration (WO2012079419)

Effects of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients with central serous chorioretinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Several studies have reported the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), while some ophthalmologists are concerned that TCM may be a risk factor for CSC as some chinese herbs contain hormonal ingredients. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TCM in treating patients with CSC. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies of TCM for CSC were searched up to July 10, 2023 on the following biological databases without language and publication time restrictions: PubMed, Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Wanfang, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed). Review Manager V.5.4.1 and Stata 14 software were used for data analysis. Finally, thirty-eight studies were finally included including 23 RCTs and 15 cohort studies. The meta-analysis showed that compared with the routine treatment alone, the combination of TCM can not only reduce the recurrence rate (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.21,0.40; I2 = 0%) and central retinal thickness (CRT) (MD = - 35.63, 95% CI: - 45.96,-25.30; I2 = 89%) of CSC, but improve patients' best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (SMD = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.62,1.11; I2 = 77%); additionally, it has no obvious side effects compared with routine treatment (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.39,1.34; I2 = 10%). Overall, this study shows that the use of TCM does not increase the risk of CSC recurrence; on the contrary, the combination of TCM may reduce the recurrence of CSC and improve BCVA and CRT in patients with CSC compared with conventional treatment.

Discovering the Potential of Natural Antioxidants in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Review

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multifactorial disease associated with anatomical changes in the inner retina. Despite tremendous advances in clinical care, there is currently no cure for AMD. This review aims to evaluate the published literature on the therapeutic roles of natural antioxidants in AMD. A literature search of PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed articles published between 1 January 2011 and 31 October 2021 was undertaken. A total of 82 preclinical and 18 clinical studies were eligible for inclusion in this review. We identified active compounds, carotenoids, extracts and polysaccharides, flavonoids, formulations, vitamins and whole foods with potential therapeutic roles in AMD. We evaluated the integral cellular signaling pathways including the activation of antioxidant pathways and angiogenesis pathways orchestrating their mode of action. In conclusion, we examined the therapeutic roles of natural antioxidants in AMD which warrant further study for application in clinical practice. Our current understanding is that natural antioxidants have the potential to improve or halt the progression of AMD, and tailoring therapeutics to the specific disease stages may be the key to preventing irreversible vision loss.

Inhibition of Experimental Age-Related Macular Degeneration by ZQMT in Mice

BACKGROUND

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive and irreversible eye disease. The anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy has revolutionized the treatment of neovascular AMD. However, the expense for such treatment is quite high.

METHODS

We used a traditional Chinese medicine ZQMT as an alternative therapeutic regimen for AMD. We employed two in vivo animal models mimicking dry and wet AMD respectively to assess the therapeutic efficacy of ZQMT on treating AMD-related retinopathy. AMD-related retinopathy in Crb1rd8 mice was evaluated from week 1 to 8 by fundus photography. Laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) was evaluated by fluorescein angiography and histopathology.

RESULTS

ZQMT increased CX3CR1 expression in murine CD4+ T cells either cultured in vitro or directly isolated from animals treated with ZQMT. We also performed both in vitro and in vivo studies to confirm that ZQMT has no apparent toxic effects. ZQMT alleviated AMD-related retinopathy in both Crb1rd8 and CNV models. Depletion of CCL2 and CX3CR1 in Crb1rd8 mice abolished the efficacy of ZQMT, suggesting that CCL2 and/or CX3CR1 may underlie the mechanisms of ZQMT in treating AMD-related retinopathy in mice.

CONCLUSION

In summary, our study supports the protective roles of a traditional Chinese medicine ZQMT in AMD.