title: New approaches and potential treatments for dry age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: Emerging treatments for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and geographic atrophy focus on two strategies that target components involved in physiopathological pathways: prevention of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium loss (neuroprotection induction, oxidative damage prevention, and visual cycle modification) and suppression of inflammation. Neuroprotective drugs, such as ciliary neurotrophic factor, brimonidine tartrate, tandospirone, and anti-amyloid β antibodies, aim to prevent apoptosis of retinal cells. Oxidative stress and depletion of essential micronutrients are targeted by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formulation. Visual cycle modulators reduce the activity of the photoreceptors and retinal accumulation of toxic fluorophores and lipofuscin. Eyes with dry age-related macular degeneration present chronic inflammation and potential treatments include corticosteroid and complement inhibition. We review the current concepts and rationale of dry age-related macular degeneration treatment that will most likely include a combination of drugs targeting different pathways involved in the development and progression of age-related macular degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of São Paulo, Brazil. fmdamico@usp.br
authors.forename: Francisco Max
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Damico
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gasparin
authors.forename: Mariana Ramos
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Scolari
authors.forename: Lycia Sampaio
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Pedral
authors.forename: Beatriz Sayuri
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003170:Complement Pathway, Alternative / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy*