Intravitreous Delivery of the Corticosteroid Fluocinolone Acetonide Attenuates Retinal Degeneration in S334ter-4 Rats

Abstract

Chronic intravitreous infusion of FA preserves ONL cell morphology and ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes and reduces retinal neuroinflammation in S334ter rats. Based on these findings, the synthetic corticosteroid FA may promise a therapeutic role in patients with retinal degeneration.

Pharmacological Enhancement of ex vivo Gene Therapy Neuroprotection in a Rodent Model of Retinal Degeneration

“…We also hypothesised that such a combination approach would be most likely to augment neuroprotection if the adjuvant targeted another element of the pathophysiological pathway in addition to apoptosis inhibition targeted by GDNF treatment. Of the therapeutic strategies not involving neuroprotection that have already been proven as effective in the S334ter-4 model -translational bypass of the premature termination codon [19] and sustained-release intravitreous fluocinolone acetonide [20] -the former approach using systemic aminoglycoside therapy was selected as the least invasive and most straightforward adjuvant [19] . The ability of aminoglycosides to override premature termination codon mutations has led to clinical trials of these and similar molecules in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis [21] .…”

Synthetic Glucocorticoids Modulate Function of Neural Cells: Implications in Autoimmune Neurological Disorders

“…Promising results have also been obtained with dexamethasone and fluocinolone in several studies, i.e. dexamethasone reduces astroglial reactivity to implanted neuroprosthetic devices in rat cortex (Spataro et al 2005), whereas intravitreous administration of fluocinolone attenuates retinal degeneration (Glybina et al 2010). Further evidence suggests that dexamethasone produces immunosuppressive effects on the astrocyte response to interleukin-1-beta stimulation (Pousset et al 1999) and counteracts blood-brain barrier failure by decreasing transendothelial permeability (Cucullo et al 2004).…”

New approaches and potential treatments for dry age-related macular degeneration

“…• Fluocinolone acetonide (Alimera Sciences, USA) is a potent corticosteroid that presented a neuroprotective effect in an animal model by dampening retinal neuroinflammation (51,52) . It is pos tulated that the sustained-release implant, which delivers fluocinolone acetonide directly into the vitreous, may suppress retinal neuroinflammation and slow the rate of retinal degeneration.…”