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Immunopathological aspects of age-related macular degeneration

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Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) represents a leading cause of blindness worldwide. While the clinical and histopathological aspects of AMD are well characterized, its etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. Recent findings suggest a role for immunologic processes in AMD pathogenesis, including the age-related generation of extracellular deposits inside the Brusch membrane and beneath the retinal pigment epithelium, recruitment of macrophages for clearance of these deposits, complement activation, recruitment of tissue-destructive macrophages, microglial activation and accumulation, and proinflammatory effects of chronic inflammation by Chlamydia pneumoniae. This review discusses the evidence for the role of inflammation in human AMD and in animal models of AMD.

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  1. Section of Immunopathology, Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, 10/10N103, NIH/NEI, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1857, USA

    Mrinali Patel & Chi-Chao Chan

  2. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA

    Mrinali Patel

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  2. Chi-Chao Chan
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Patel, M., Chan, CC. Immunopathological aspects of age-related macular degeneration. Semin Immunopathol 30, 97–110 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-008-0112-9

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