About 200 million people worldwide are afflicted by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. As populations skew older, numbers are predicted to grow.
Although treatments do exist for this complex disease, some patients show poor response. Researchers are now exploring the involvement of the intestinal microbiome in AMD, potentially offering a new avenue for management.
This blog will address the evidence for the “gut-eye axis” along with possible microbiota-related therapeutic approaches to AMD.
AMD, in brief
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects one in eight people 60 years of age or older and is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in older persons in developed countries. The eye’s macula contains a dense population of light-detecting cells called photoreceptors. These cells transmit signals to the brain, where they are interpreted as images. The macula is located within the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
AMD’s complex origins involve cellular, biochemical, and molecular processes influenced by various factors like genetics and the environment. While the exact cause remains unclear, research suggests that lipid metabolism, extracellular matrix biology, complement cascade activation, oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune responses play a role in the disease’s development.
The aging process drives a low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) that is a significant risk factor in AMD and other diseases. Aging weakens the retina’s normally robust physical and immune protections, making it more susceptible to oxidative stress, hyperglycemia, and increased intraocular pressure.
Immunosenescence (altered immune function in aging) may result in various symptoms in AMD, including the buildup of drusen (fat and protein deposits) beneath the retinal pigment epithelium and geographic atrophy. The existence of many large drusen is an early sign of AMD.
AMD varieties are categorized as exudative (wet) and non-exudative (dry). The primary treatment for advanced wet AMD is the injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs directly into the eye. However, some patients may experience disease relapse or show no response to this treatment. No effective treatments are available for the dry form.
In addition to aging, many other factors such as genetics, lifestyle (smoking), diet (high-fat, high-glucose, high fructose), environment (light exposure), and dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiome may contribute to the risk and progression of AMD.
AMD and the gut microbiome
Recent research shows that the gut microbiota can influence inflammation—including low-grade—and immunity in the eye, a relationship designated as the gut-eye axis. Gut dysbiosis leads to increased gut permeability, elevated circulation of bacterial products, microbial metabolites and inflammatory mediators that result in immune dysregulation at distant anatomic sites including the retina.
Different gut microbiota in AMD
Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is associated with AMD, as reported in the following studies.
For example, a 2017 study found that alterations in the gut microbiome were linked to AMD. They found the genera Anaerotruncus and Oscillibacter as well as Ruminococcus torques and Eubacterium ventriosum were higher in patients with AMD. These are associated with glutamate degradation and increased arginine biosynthesis pathways, both of which are linked to poor or degenerative retinal function. In addition, bacteria controlling fatty acid elongation were lacking; long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids appear to impact retinal function and therefore may contribute to AMD.
Another study also found that intestinal microbiota was different in patients with AMD compared to healthy controls. A lower concentration of Firmicutes and higher levels of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota were observed in the AMD group.
The significance of these differences may lie partly in the ability of bacteria to produce metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids. Firmicutes produce SCFAs such as butyrate which help regulate gut permeability, reduce inflammation, and restrict pathogen growth by lowering pH. Immune cells in the retina may be modulated by the altered translocation of gut metabolites due to increased gut permeability. In addition, a recent study in a mouse model found that intra-peritoneal injected SCFAs were detected in the eye and reduced intraocular inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharides.
Dietary factors could represent a link between the alteration of gut microbiota and AMD.
Both micro- and macronutrient optimization may modulate the gut microbiome, lowering the risk of low-grade inflammation which contributes to AMD progression.
Many studies (Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS and AREDS 2) have shown the beneficial role of micronutrients. Regarding macronutrients, a low-glycemic diet may reverse age-related macular degeneration features, associated with a high-glycemic diet according to a 2017 study in mice. In addition, a pattern of eating, known as the “Western Diet” (higher intake of red and processed meats, high-fat dairy products, etc.), was associated with increased AMD risk in a study of 4,088 participants. Moreover, gut microbiota associated with obesity drove retinal tissue pathology in a recent study.
AMD and probiotics
Microbiome modulation may be a new therapeutic target for AMD. Lactic acid bacteria are commonly consumed to enhance the intestinal barrier and immune function. Researchers have tested this concept in animals.
In a 2023 study in a rat model of dry AMD (slower progression compared to wet AMD), a combined treatment of a specific strain of Limosilactobacillus fermentum combined with an extract of anthocyanin (a flavonoid plant pigment) could alleviate retinal damage, better than the plant pigment alone.
In another mice study, one strain of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei has been observed to suppress retinal inflammation by reducing cytokine-producing macrophages and the loss of age-related retinal cells in mice. Moreover, further study in mice showed that the same strain of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei suppressed inflammation on photoreceptor cells, suggesting a preventive effect against degenerative retinal diseases.
Nevertheless, the relevance of these studies to the human condition is limited due to the absence of a murine model that accurately represents all aspects of AMD in humans.
Takeaway
Researchers are investigating the relationship between the intestinal microbiome and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to explore new treatment options. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, characterized by an imbalance in gut bacteria, has been associated with AMD and its progression. Studies have shown that specific gut bacteria and their metabolites may play a role in retinal function and inflammation, and interventions with probiotics have shown potential in alleviating retinal damage and suppressing inflammation in animal models of AMD. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of gut microbiota on the apparently complex pathogenesis of human AMD.
Key references
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