Abstract
In the past decade, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of cases of age-related eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. These diseases are the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness all over the world and are associated with many pathological risk factors such as aging, pollution, high levels of glucose (hyperglycaemia), high metabolic rates, and light exposure. These risk factors lead to the generation of uncontrollable reactive oxygen species (ROS), which causes oxidative stress. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of age-related eye diseases through the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and lipid peroxidation, which leads to the production of inflammatory cytokines, angiogenesis, protein and DNA damages, apoptosis that causes macular degeneration (AMD), cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. This review provides updated information on the beneficial effects of dietary natural plant products (DPNPs) against age-related eye diseases. In this review, supplementation of DPNPs demonstrated preventive and therapeutic effects on people at risk of or with age-related eye diseases due to their capacity to scavenge free radicals, ameliorate inflammatory molecules, neutralize the oxidation reaction that occurs in photoreceptor cells, decrease vascular endothelial growth factor and the blood-retinal barrier and increase the antioxidant defence system. However, further experiments and clinical trials are required to establish the daily doses of DPNPs that will safely and effectively prevent age-related eye diseases.
Highlights
The human eye is a sensitive, delicate and sensory organ that is used for light perception and vision
Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of age-related eye diseases by activating nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and lipid peroxidation which leads to the production of inflammatory cytokines, angiogenesis, protein and DNA damage, and apoptosis (Figure 2)
These result to chronic age-related eye diseases such as; age-related macular degeneration (AMD)- caused by the damage in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors; cataracts-caused by damage to the protein, DNA and membrane fibre which lead to loss of lens transparency due to imbalance in electrolytes; diabetic retinopathy-caused by endothelial cell dysfunction, disruption of blood retinal barrier; glaucoma-caused by the alteration of human trabecular mesh-work, this leads to the drainage of the aqueous humour and an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) (Bungau et al, 2019)
Summary
The human eye is a sensitive, delicate and sensory organ that is used for light perception and vision. Oxidative stress is a common denominator of toxicity that results from an imbalance between oxidant and antioxidant systems (Abdel-Daim et al, 2019) It is a major player in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Plant-based natural products are plant metabolites found in fruits and vegetables that play vital roles in plant protection against herbivores They do possess phytopotentials for growth and reproduction in humans, but are used in the management and treatment of several diseases (Bodas et al 2008; Ugbogu et al, 2019). This review will evaluate the roles of selected plant-based natural products such as polyphenols, carotenoids, provitamin A, vitamins C and E in the prevention and treatment of age-related eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataract
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