Blood-retinal barrier as a converging pivot in understanding the initiation and development of retinal diseases.
10.1097/CM9.0000000000001015
- Author:
Xue YANG
1
;
Xiao-Wei YU
;
Dan-Dan ZHANG
;
Zhi-Gang FAN
Author Information
1. State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, China.
- Publication Type:Review
- MeSH:
Blood-Retinal Barrier;
Diabetic Retinopathy;
Humans;
Macular Degeneration;
Phenotype;
Retinal Diseases
- From:
Chinese Medical Journal
2020;133(21):2586-2594
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Clinical ophthalmologists consider each retinal disease as a completely unique entity. However, various retinal diseases, such as uveitis, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and primary open-angle glaucoma, share a number of common pathogenetic pathways. Whether a retinal disease initiates from direct injury to the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) or a defect/injury to retinal neurons or glia that impairs the BRB secondarily, the BRB is a pivotal point in determining the prognosis as self-limiting and recovering, or developing and progressing to a clinical phenotype. The present review summarizes our current knowledge on the physiology and cellular and molecular pathology of the BRB, which underlies its pivotal role in the initiation and development of common retinal diseases.
