Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of Cataracts
Cataracts, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide, refers to lens degradation that is characterized by clouding, with consequent blurry vision. As life expectancies improve, the number of people affected with cataracts is predicted to increase worldwide, especially in low-incom...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Pharmaceuticals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/13/1/15 |
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| author | Segewkal H. Heruye Leonce N. Maffofou Nkenyi Neetu U. Singh Dariush Yalzadeh Kalu K. Ngele Ya-Fatou Njie-Mbye Sunny E. Ohia Catherine A. Opere |
| author_facet | Segewkal H. Heruye Leonce N. Maffofou Nkenyi Neetu U. Singh Dariush Yalzadeh Kalu K. Ngele Ya-Fatou Njie-Mbye Sunny E. Ohia Catherine A. Opere |
| author_sort | Segewkal H. Heruye |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cataracts, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide, refers to lens degradation that is characterized by clouding, with consequent blurry vision. As life expectancies improve, the number of people affected with cataracts is predicted to increase worldwide, especially in low-income nations with limited access to surgery. Although cataract surgery is considered safe, it is associated with some complications such as retinal detachment, warranting a search for cheap, pharmacological alternatives to the management of this ocular disease. The lens is richly endowed with a complex system of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants which scavenge reactive oxygen species to preserve lens proteins. Depletion and/or failure in this primary antioxidant defense system contributes to the damage observed in lenticular molecules and their repair mechanisms, ultimately causing cataracts. Several attempts have been made to counteract experimentally induced cataract using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo techniques. The majority of the anti-cataract compounds tested, including plant extracts and naturally-occurring compounds, lies in their antioxidant and/or free radical scavenging and/or anti-inflammatory propensity. In addition to providing an overview of the pathophysiology of cataracts, this review focuses on the role of various categories of natural and synthetic compounds on experimentally-induced cataracts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:14:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b18ca304da764f69913c76447e52b481 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8247 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:14:49Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmaceuticals |
| spelling | doaj.art-b18ca304da764f69913c76447e52b4812022-12-21T23:40:45ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472020-01-011311510.3390/ph13010015ph13010015Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of CataractsSegewkal H. Heruye0Leonce N. Maffofou Nkenyi1Neetu U. Singh2Dariush Yalzadeh3Kalu K. Ngele4Ya-Fatou Njie-Mbye5Sunny E. Ohia6Catherine A. Opere7Department of Pharmacology & Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USADepartment of Pharmacy Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USADepartment of Pharmacy Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USACollege of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89146, USADepartment of Biology/Microbiology/Biotechnology, Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo, Abakaliki, NigeriaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX 77004, USADepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX 77004, USADepartment of Pharmacy Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USACataracts, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide, refers to lens degradation that is characterized by clouding, with consequent blurry vision. As life expectancies improve, the number of people affected with cataracts is predicted to increase worldwide, especially in low-income nations with limited access to surgery. Although cataract surgery is considered safe, it is associated with some complications such as retinal detachment, warranting a search for cheap, pharmacological alternatives to the management of this ocular disease. The lens is richly endowed with a complex system of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants which scavenge reactive oxygen species to preserve lens proteins. Depletion and/or failure in this primary antioxidant defense system contributes to the damage observed in lenticular molecules and their repair mechanisms, ultimately causing cataracts. Several attempts have been made to counteract experimentally induced cataract using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo techniques. The majority of the anti-cataract compounds tested, including plant extracts and naturally-occurring compounds, lies in their antioxidant and/or free radical scavenging and/or anti-inflammatory propensity. In addition to providing an overview of the pathophysiology of cataracts, this review focuses on the role of various categories of natural and synthetic compounds on experimentally-induced cataracts.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/13/1/15cataractslenslens transparencylens opacificationlens crystallinsantioxidantsglutathionesuperoxide dismutase |
| spellingShingle | Segewkal H. Heruye Leonce N. Maffofou Nkenyi Neetu U. Singh Dariush Yalzadeh Kalu K. Ngele Ya-Fatou Njie-Mbye Sunny E. Ohia Catherine A. Opere Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of Cataracts Pharmaceuticals cataracts lens lens transparency lens opacification lens crystallins antioxidants glutathione superoxide dismutase |
| title | Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of Cataracts |
| title_full | Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of Cataracts |
| title_fullStr | Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of Cataracts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of Cataracts |
| title_short | Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of Cataracts |
| title_sort | current trends in the pharmacotherapy of cataracts |
| topic | cataracts lens lens transparency lens opacification lens crystallins antioxidants glutathione superoxide dismutase |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/13/1/15 |
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