Gene augmentation therapy treats mature mice with complete congenital stationary night blindness (cCSNB), improving retinal function and visual acuity.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) mediated gene therapy is an effective approach for targeting therapeutic genes to retinal photoreceptors. Complete congenital stationary night blindness (cCSNB) is a genetically heterogeneous inherited retinal disease caused by mutations in one of several genes, which are part of a large and interdependent depolarizing bipolar cell (DBC) signalplex required for normal synaptic signaling with photoreceptors. These genes include , and and the cCSNB phenotype that results is characterized by abnormal low light vision, myopia, and nystagmus, but does not include retinal degeneration.

A Window to the Brain: The Retina to Monitor the Progression and Efficacy of Saffron Repron Pre-Treatment in an LPS Model of Neuroinflammation and Memory Impairment.

A mechanism shared by most neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), is neuroinflammation. It has been shown to have a link between cognitive impairment and retinal function under neuroinflammatory conditions, confirming the essential role of the retina as a window to the brain. Here, we characterize a mouse model of LPS-induced neuroinflammation describing the parallel deterioration of both memory and visual function.

Efficacy of Hydroponically Cultivated Saffron in the Preservation of Retinal Pigment Epithelium.

Saffron treatment is a broad-spectrum therapy used for several retinal diseases, and its effectiveness depends on a particular molecular composition (REPRON saffron). Its production requires specific crops and procedures that, together with low yields, make this spice expensive. To reduce costs, the use of hydroponic crops is gradually increasing.

Sequential PBM-Saffron Treatment in an Animal Model of Retinal Degeneration.

Saffron treatment and photobiomodulation (PBM) are non-invasive therapeutic approaches able to mitigate and stabilize retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although different, these therapies partially match their modulated pattern of genes. Recent attempts to find an additive effect by coadministration of saffron and PBM have failed.

The Timecourses of Functional, Morphological, and Molecular Changes Triggered by Light Exposure in Sprague-Dawley Rat Retinas.

Retinal neurodegeneration can impair visual perception at different levels, involving not only photoreceptors, which are the most metabolically active cells, but also the inner retina. Compensatory mechanisms may hide the first signs of these impairments and reduce the likelihood of receiving timely treatments. Therefore, it is essential to characterize the early critical steps in the neurodegenerative progression to design adequate therapies.

Retinal Neurodegeneration: Correlation between Nutraceutical Treatment and Animal Model.

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.

Biocompatibility of a Conjugated Polymer Retinal Prosthesis in the Domestic Pig.

The progressive degeneration of retinal photoreceptors is one of the most significant causes of blindness in humans. Conjugated polymers represent an attractive solution to the field of retinal prostheses, and a multi-layer fully organic prosthesis implanted subretinally in dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats was able to rescue visual functions. As a step toward human translation, we report here the fabrication and testing of a similar device engineered to adapt to the human-like size of the eye of the domestic pig, an excellent animal paradigm to test therapeutic strategies for photoreceptors degeneration.

Cord Blood Serum (CBS)-Based Eye Drops Modulate Light-Induced Neurodegeneration in Albino Rat Retinas.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of visual loss in western countries, it has no cure, and its incidence will grow in the future, for the overall population aging. Albino rats with retinal degeneration induced by exposure to high-intensity light (light-damage, LD) have been extensively used as a model of AMD to test neuroprotective agents. Among them, trophic factors (NGF and BDNF) have been shown to play a significant role in photoreceptors' survival.

Saffron: A Multitask Neuroprotective Agent for Retinal Degenerative Diseases.

Both age related macular degeneration (AMD) and light induced retinal damage share the common major role played by oxidative stress in the induction/progression of degenerative events. Light damaged (LD) rats have been widely used as a convenient model to gain insight into the mechanisms of degenerative disease, to enucleate relevant steps and to test neuroprotectants. Among them, saffron has been shown to ameliorate degenerative processes and to regulate many genes and protective pathways.

Fluorescent light induces neurodegeneration in the rodent nigrostriatal system but near infrared LED light does not.

We investigated the effects of continuous artificial light exposure on the mouse substantia nigra (SN). A three month exposure of C57Bl/6J mice to white fluorescent light induced a 30% reduction in dopamine (DA) neurons in SN compared to controls, accompanied by a decrease of DA and its metabolites in the striatum. After six months of exposure, neurodegeneration progressed slightly, but the level of DA returned to the basal level, while the metabolites increased with respect to the control.

A fully organic retinal prosthesis restores vision in a rat model of degenerative blindness.

The degeneration of photoreceptors in the retina is one of the major causes of adult blindness in humans. Unfortunately, no effective clinical treatments exist for the majority of retinal degenerative disorders. Here we report on the fabrication and functional validation of a fully organic prosthesis for long-term in vivo subretinal implantation in the eye of Royal College of Surgeons rats, a widely recognized model of retinitis pigmentosa.

Characterization of a Polymer-Based, Fully Organic Prosthesis for Implantation into the Subretinal Space of the Rat.

Replacement strategies arise as promising approaches in case of inherited retinal dystrophies leading to blindness. A fully organic retinal prosthesis made of conjugated polymers layered onto a silk fibroin substrate is engineered. First, the biophysical and surface properties are characterized; then, the long-term biocompatibility is assessed after implantation of the organic device in the subretinal space of 3-months-old rats for a period of five months.

Combining neuroprotectants in a model of retinal degeneration: no additive benefit.

The central nervous system undergoing degeneration can be stabilized, and in some models can be restored to function, by neuroprotective treatments. Photobiomodulation (PBM) and dietary saffron are distinctive as neuroprotectants in that they upregulate protective mechanisms, without causing measurable tissue damage. This study reports a first attempt to combine the actions of PBM and saffron.