Glaucoma: A Degenerative Optic Neuropathy Related to Neuroinflammation?

• Published in: Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 9; no. 3; p. 535
• Main Authors: Mélik Parsadaniantz, Stéphane, Réaux-le Goazigo, Annabelle, Sapienza, Anaïs, Habas, Christophe, Baudouin, Christophe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 25-02-2020; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Animals; central visual pathway; Disease Models, Animal; Glaucoma - physiopathology; Human health and pathology; Humans; Inflammation - complications; Life Sciences; neuroinflammation; neuronal degeneration; ocular hypertension; Optic Nerve Diseases - physiopathology; Review; neuronal degeneration; ocular hypertension; central visual pathway; neuroinflammation
• ISSN: 2073-4409; 2073-4409
• DOI: 10.3390/cells9030535

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the world and remains a major public health problem. To date, incomplete knowledge of this disease's pathophysiology has resulted in current therapies (pharmaceutical or surgical) unfortunately having only a slowing effect on disease progression. Recent research suggests that glaucomatous optic neuropathy is a disease that shares common neuroinflammatory mechanisms with "classical" neurodegenerative pathologies. In addition to the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), neuroinflammation appears to be a key element in the progression and spread of this disease. Indeed, early reactivity of glial cells has been observed in the retina, but also in the central visual pathways of glaucoma patients and in preclinical models of ocular hypertension. Moreover, neuronal lesions are not limited to retinal structure, but also occur in central visual pathways. This review summarizes and puts into perspective the experimental and clinical data obtained to date to highlight the need to develop neuroprotective and immunomodulatory therapies to prevent blindness in glaucoma patients.