The Actions of Lithium on Glaucoma and Other Senile Neurodegenerative Diseases Through GSK-3 Inhibition: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Glaucoma can be described as a set of progressive optic neuropathies. They cause a gradual, irreversible loss of the field of view, which concludes in complete blindness. Evidence suggests that patients who have glaucoma face a greater risk of suffering from senile dementia. Dementia is a group of conditions that occur in old age individuals. Neurodegeneration is a characteristic pathological feature of dementia, the progression of which causes a decline in cognition, which may be accompanied by memory loss. Severe dementia in old individuals usually presents as Alzheimer's disease, which significantly contributes to a load of dementia in India. Parkinsonism is another common neurodegenerative disease that is known to occur in the elderly.The WNT (Wingless-related integration site)/β-catenin pathway is a multistep process that is responsible for the regulation of various cellular functions. Lithium can up-regulate this pathway by disrupting Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). This action of Lithium can effectively counteract neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. The current use of Lithium remains majorly confined to its use for episodes of mania in bipolar disorder (BD). However, recent literature gives insight into how Lithium can improve the visual field in glaucomatous eyes. Symptomatic improvement after lithium administration is seen as it has neuroprotective actions on the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Prolonged lithium use improves axonal regeneration and neuronal survival. Lithium also improves the worsening of symptoms in other dementiarelated neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism. The physiological actions of Lithium can be utilized in providing effective, holistic therapy options in pathologically related senile degenerative disorders. Significantly better results can be obtained if Lithium therapy is given in conjunction with the drugs used to manage these disorders.

SALIQ in Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Repurposed Multidrug Regimen to Augment Standard Treatments by Adding Simvastatin, All Trans Retinoic Acid, Lithium, Itraconazole, and Quercetin

“…Lithium, as lithium carbonate, is commonly used in psychiatry to reduce wide mood swings where its primary locus of action is inhibition of GSK3 [73]. Lithium inhibits GSK-3 in a variety of clinical settings and diseases [74][75][76]. Lithium also has an extensive database on its adjunctive use in treating various cancers [77][78][79].…”