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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #385904
Research Project: Exploiting Nutrition and Protein Quality Controls to Delay Age-related Macular Degeneration and Cataracts

Location: Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging

Title: Glyoxalase system as a therapeutic target against diabetic retinopathy

Author
item ARAGONES, GEMMA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item ROWAN, SHELDON - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item FRANCISCO, SARAH - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item YANG, WENDY - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item WEINBERG, JASPER - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item TAYLOR, ALLEN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item BEJARANO, ELOY - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Antioxidants
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/27/2020
Publication Date: 10/30/2020
Citation: Aragones, G., Rowan, S., Francisco, S.G., Yang, W., Weinberg, J., Taylor, A., Bejarano, E. 2020. Glyoxalase system as a therapeutic target against diabetic retinopathy. Antioxidants. 9(11):1062. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9111062.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9111062

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Hyperglycemia, a defining characteristic of diabetes, combined with oxidative stress, results in the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are toxic compounds that have adverse effects on many tissues including the retina and lens. AGEs promote the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which, in turn, boost the production of AGEs, resulting in positive feedback loops, a vicious cycle that compromises tissue fitness. Oxidative stress and the accumulation of AGEs are etiologically associated with the pathogenesis of multiple diseases including diabetic retinopathy (DR). DR is a devastating microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. The onset and development of DR is multifactorial. Lowering AGEs accumulation may represent a potential therapeutic approach to slow this sight-threatening diabetic complication. To set DR in a physiological context, in this review we first describe relations between oxidative stress, formation of AGEs, and aging in several tissues of the eye, each of which is associated with a major age-related eye pathology. We summarize mechanisms of AGEs generation and anti-AGEs detoxifying systems. We specifically feature the potential of the glyoxalase system in the retina in the prevention of AGEs-associated damage linked to DR. We provide a comparative analysis of glyoxalase activity in different tissues from wild-type mice, supporting a major role for the glyoxalase system in the detoxification of AGEs in the retina, and present the manipulation of this system as a therapeutic strategy to prevent the onset of DR.