"Ions of Skulachev" against senile eye diseases
Antioxidant Skulachev treats blindness
Evgenia Dorogova, "Living Systems", for STRF.ruResearchers have proven the high effectiveness of the antioxidant SkQ in the treatment of age-related ophthalmic diseases.
So far – in animals
Scientists led by academician V. P. Skulachev conducted a study in which they proved that the antioxidant SkQ, designed to combat aging processes in the body, is able to treat age-related eye diseases in rats and rabbits, as well as restore lost vision to dogs, cats and horses.
It is known that vision deteriorates with age in humans and animals. The list of "senile" eye diseases includes glaucoma, macular degeneration, various forms of retinopathy, cataracts, age–related hyperopia. Science knows that one of the causes of such disorders is the accumulation of oxygen free radicals in the body. They are toxic and are considered a possible cause of aging.
In the course of many years of research, scientists of the Skulachev group have developed the antioxidant SkQ, a compound capable of inhibiting the destructive effect of reactive oxygen species. SkQ stops up to 20 signs of aging of the body. Testing of the action of this molecule continues, and in the past, 2008, it showed high effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of visual impairment.
The work was carried out by specialists from the A. N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology and the Moscow Institute of Eye Diseases. Helmholtz, the N. N. Koltsov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the K. I. Scriabin Moscow State Veterinary Academy, the Mitoengineering Center and the Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics of the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Novosibirsk Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS. At the beginning, the researchers tested the antioxidant on rats and rabbits.
Cataract is a disease that manifests itself in clouding of the lens, and retinopathy is a lesion of the eyeball shell that occurs as a result of a disorder of the blood supply to the retina. For the experiments, the researchers selected prematurely aging OXYS rats created at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics. (Earlier we wrote that OXYS rats are a universal model for studying cataracts – ed.) Scientists daily dripped SkQ1 into rodents' food in different doses. It turned out that small doses (50 nmol / kg per day) of the antioxidant prevented the development of cataracts and retinopathy, and 250 nM were able to completely cure these diseases in animals aged 3-12 months.
Further, the researchers proved that with the help of SkQ, it is possible to prevent diseases such as uveitis and glaucoma. Uveitis is associated with inflammation of the vascular membrane of the eye, and glaucoma is associated with increased intraocular pressure. To test the effectiveness of the antioxidant against these diseases, scientists conducted experiments on rabbits. Six-month-old New Zealand white rabbits were injected with eye drops containing 250 nM SkQ1 (four drops per day). This prevented the development of uveitis. And 5 microns of SkQ1 (one drop per day) prevented the development of glaucoma in animals.
But experiments on rats and rabbits are only part of the work of Skulachev's research groups. Scientists have made an attempt to apply the drug SkQ1 in veterinary practice, and treat other animals with it. SkQ1 drops were received by 271 four-legged patients: dogs, cats and horses suffering from retinopathy, uveitis, conjunctivitis and corneal diseases. In 242 cases, a pronounced therapeutic effect was observed.
For example, eye drops with 250 nM SkQ1 were administered daily to 157 dogs, cats and horses with various forms of retinopathy. In 91 cases, the animals were completely blind before treatment. The results are amazing: as a result of SkQ treatment, 61 animals began to see. They literally saw the light. At the same time, not a single case has been recorded when an antioxidant would cause undesirable effects or its effectiveness decreased during treatment.
What is the reason for the therapeutic effect of the antioxidant on eye diseases? According to the authors of the work, the retina of the eye is a tissue that is particularly severely damaged due to the action of reactive oxygen species. Its mitochondria contain a significant amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and this is the main target for oxidation. By neutralizing the "bad oxygen" in the mitochondria, SkQ effectively protects them from damage.
The researchers' work was carried out with the support of Mitotechnologia, Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Free Business Foundation, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, and the grant "Leading Scientific Schools".
The dosage form of drops containing 250 nM SkQ1 ("Vetomitin") was tested on the basis of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Russian Veterinary Academy named after K. I. Scriabin.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru02.04.2009