Progesterone, Lipoic Acid, and Sulforaphane as Promising Antioxidants for Retinal Diseases: A Review

Abstract

Oxidative stress has been documented to be a key factor in the cause and progression of different retinal diseases. Oxidative cellular unbalance triggers a sequence of reactions which prompt cell degeneration and retinal dysfunction, both hallmarks of several retinal pathologies. There is no effective treatment, yet, for many retinal diseases. Antioxidant treatment have been pointed out to be an encouraging palliative treatment; the beneficial effects documented involve slowing the progression of the disease, a reduction of cell degeneration, and improvement of retinal functions. There is a vast information corpus on antioxidant candidates. In this review, we expose three of the main antioxidant treatments, selected for their promising results that has been reported to date. Recently, the sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate molecule, has been unveiled as a neuroprotective candidate, by its antioxidant properties. Progesterone, a neurosteroid has been proposed to be a solid and effective neuroprotective agent. Finally, the lipoic acid, an organosulfur compound, is a well-recognized antioxidant. All of them, have been tested and studied on different retinal disease models. In this review, we summarized the published results of these works, to offer a general view of the current antioxidant treatment advances, including the main effects and mechanisms described.

The Relevance of Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis and Therapy of Retinal Dystrophies

“…DR and AMD (https://clinicaltrials.gov/) [110][111][112] Alpha-lipoic acid Essential for mitochondrial function and also induces NRF2 binding to antioxidant response elements. which is important to slow down DR, glaucoma, AMD, RP [113][114][115] Curcumin Increases the transcription of antioxidant enzymes and induces the activation of NRF2 helping to decrease oxidative stress in the retina.…”

Micelles of Progesterone for Topical Eye Administration: Interspecies and Intertissues Differences in Ex Vivo Ocular Permeability

“…Estrogens exert neuroprotection on the retina and optic nerve. Progesterone (PG; a C-21 steroid hormone, Figure 1 a-A) and its derivatives may promote the formation of new myelin and reduce the extent of myelin sheath loss, showing therapeutic potential against retinal degeneration [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. The retina is considered a true steroidogenic central nervous system (CNS) structure [ 9 ].…”

A Simplified Method for Simultaneous Determination of α-Lipoic Acid and Low-Molecular-Mass Thiols in Human Plasma

“…Studies reviewed in 2019 suggest that LA can be used to treat autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and primary vasculitis [8]. On top of this, LA reduces the progression of cellular degeneration and improves retinal function [9].…”