AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION CURRENT INVESTIGATIONS AND TREATMENTS

agerelatedmaculardeg774enerationkapak

THE ROLE OF RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIUM (RPE) IN DRY AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

Esra Bahadır Camgöz

Evliya Çelebi Training and Research Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, Kütahya, Türkiye

Bahadır Camgöz E. The Role of Retinal Pigment Epithelium (Rpe) in Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration. In: Çıtırık M, Şekeryapan Gediz B, editors. Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Current Investigations and Treatments. 1st ed. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2025. p.133-142.

ABSTRACT

AAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the important diseases that can cause irreversible vision loss in the elderly population all over the world. There are two forms of this disease, dry type and wet type, the first is associated with damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), cell death and geographical atrophy in the advanced stages, it is more common in society than the wet type. Although there are treatment approaches with proven efficacy in wet AMD, there is no such treatment in the management of dry AMD yet. Consequently, the function of RPE, which is recognized as a pivotal element in the formation of dry type AMD, has emerged as a prominent research focus worldwide, driving advancements in treatment strategies. The RPE is a retinal layer necessary for retinal homeostasis and the maintenance of photoreceptor function. Researches has demonstrated that RPE damage in dry AMD may be mediated by a multitude of mechanisms. These mechanisms include the complementary system, cell death mechanisms (apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis and ferroptosis), autophagy, aB crystalline expression (small heat shock protein) and mitochondrial dysfunction. Understanding the mechanisms of RPE damage in dry AMD may promise therapeutic approaches in this difficult-to-treat disease.

Keywords: Dry aged-related macular degeneration; Retina pigment epithelium; Cell death; Complement system; Autophagy; Mitochondrial dysfunction

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