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NAD salvage pathway machinery expression in normal and glaucomatous retina and optic nerve

Acta Neuropathologica Communications

January 22, 2023

Tribble, James R.

Summary

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness and is a major health and economic burden. Current treatments do not address the neurodegenerative component of glaucoma. In animal models of glaucoma, the capacity to maintain retinal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) pools declines early during disease pathogenesis. Treatment with nicotinamide, an NAD precursor through the NAD salvage pathway, robustly protects against neurodegeneration in a number of glaucoma models and improves vision in existing glaucoma patients. However, it remains unknown in humans what retinal cell types are able to process nicotinamide to NAD and how these are affected in glaucoma. To address this, we utilized publicly available RNA-sequencing data (bulk, single cell, and single nucleus) and antibody labelling in highly preserved enucleated human eyes to identify expression of NAD synthesizing enzyme machinery. This identifies that the neural retina favors expression of the NAD salvage pathway, and that retinal ganglion cells are particularly enriched for these enzymes. NMNAT2, a key terminal enzyme in the salvage pathway, is predominantly expressed in retinal ganglion cell relevant layers of the retina and declines in glaucoma. These findings suggest that human retinal ganglion cells can directly utilize nicotinamide and could maintain a capacity to do so in glaucoma, showing promise for ongoing clinical trials.

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I am Shelly Albaum, and this is my personal website and blog. All the opinions presented here are my own. Nobody writes here but me. You can read more about me here. Cookies are not required to use this website. Read more about that here. 

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Original work © 2022 by Right of Assembly

No claim to research or any work of others

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

1. Health Supplements Are Not Medicines. Health Supplements that raise NAD levels, like nicotinamide riboside or other NAD precursors, are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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2. No Medical Advice. I am a lawyer and a journalist, not a doctor, and I offer no medical advice. But I do follow the science, and I can bring to your attention some interesting studies. You can read more about me here. And check with your physician -- your physician can look at this research, too.

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