title: Anthocyanin can arrest the cone photoreceptor degeneration and act as a novel treatment for retinitis pigmentosa.
abstract: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of heterogeneous inherited retinal diseases that is characterized by primary death rod photoreceptors and the secondary loss of cones. The degeneration of cones causes gradual constriction of visual fields, leaving the central islands that are eventually snuffed out. Studies indicate that the hyperoxia causes oxidative damage in the retina and contributes to the cone death of RP. Moreover, abundant reactive oxidative species (ROS) which are generated in cones may result in mitochondria membrane depolarization, which has been ascribed a central role in the apoptotic process and has been proposed to act as a forward feeding loop for the activation of downstream cascades. Anthocyanin is a potent antioxidant which has been evidenced to be able to counteract oxidative damages, scavenge surplus ROS, and rectify abnormities in the apoptotic cascade. Taken together with its ability to attenuate inflammation which also contributes to the etiology of RP, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the anthocyanin could act as a novel therapeutic strategy to retard or prevent cone degeneration in RP retinas, particularly if the treatment is timed appropriately and delivered efficiently. Future pharmacological investigations will identify the anthocyanin as an effective candidate for PR therapy and refinements of that knowledge would ignite the hope of restoring the visual function in RP patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Aerospace Medicine, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Aerospace Medicine, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Qing
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: anthocyanin; apoptosis; cone photoreceptor; reactive oxidative species; retinitis pigmentosa