Abstract
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. Our working hypothesis was that the actions of PBM and saffron in protecting retinal photoreceptors, in a rat light damage model, would be additive. Results confirmed the neuroprotective potential of each used separately, but gave no evidence that their effects are additive. Detailed analysis suggests that there is actually a negative interaction between PBM and saffron when given simultaneously, with a consequent reduction of the neuroprotection. Specific testing will be required to understand the mechanisms involved and to establish whether there is clinical potential in combining neuroprotectants, to improve the quality of life of people affected by retinal pathology, such as age-related macular degeneration, the major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults.
Highlights
The central nervous system in mammals has only a limited ability to repair its neuronal circuitry
Its effectiveness as a neuroprotectant was pioneered by Maccarone and colleagues [4], who showed that dietary saffron maintains photoreceptor morphology and function after exposure to damaging light in rat retina, and reduces the overexpression of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2)
For all three treatments a reduction in cell death from the unconditioned light damage level was evident and significant, but greater reduction was not achieved with PBM and saffron given simultaneously
Summary
The central nervous system in mammals has only a limited ability to repair its neuronal circuitry. Age-related loss of retinal stability results in diseases such as age related macular degeneration (AMD). Its effectiveness as a neuroprotectant was pioneered by Maccarone and colleagues [4], who showed that dietary saffron maintains photoreceptor morphology and function after exposure to damaging light in rat retina, and reduces the overexpression of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2). This neuroprotective action of saffron has been confirmed in models of photoreceptor degeneration [5] and Parkinson’s disease [6] and in clinical trials with AMD [7,8]
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