Retinal Neurodegeneration: Correlation between Nutraceutical Treatment and Animal Model

• Main Authors: Ilaria Piano, Mattia Di Paolo, Francesca Corsi, Eugenia Piragine, Silvia Bisti, Claudia Gargini, Stefano Di Marco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: retinal degeneration; oxidative stress; nutraceutical compounds; preventative therapy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/3/770

Retinal diseases can be induced by a variety of factors, including gene mutations, environmental stresses and dysmetabolic processes. The result is a progressive deterioration of visual function, which sometimes leads to blindness. Many treatments are under investigation, though results are still mostly unsatisfactory and restricted to specific pathologies, particularly in the case of gene therapy. The majority of treatments have been tested in animal models, but very few have progressed to human clinical trials. A relevant approach is to study the relation between the type of treatments and the degenerative characteristics of the animal model to better understand the effectiveness of each therapy. Here we compare the results obtained from different animal models treated with natural compounds (saffron and naringenin) to anticipate the potentiality of a single treatment in different pathologies.