Abstract
The retina is an immune privileged tissue, which is protected from external and internal insults by its blood-retinal barriers and immune suppressive microenvironment. Apart from the avoidance and tolerance strategies, the retina is also protected by its own defense system, i.e., microglia and the complement system. The immune privilege and defense mechanisms work together to maintain retinal homeostasis. During aging, the retina is at an increased risk of developing various degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucomatous retinopathy. Previously, we have shown that aging induces a para-inflammatory response in the retina. In this review, we explore the impact of aging on retinal immune regulation and the connection between homeostatic control of retinal immune privilege and para-inflammation under aging conditions and present a view that may explain why aging puts the retina at risk of developing degenerative diseases.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 159-172 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Progress in Retinal and Eye Research |
| Volume | 69 |
| Early online date | 20 Oct 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2019 |
Keywords
- Aging
- Blood-retina barrier
- Complement
- Inflammation
- Microglia
- Retinal degeneration
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology
- Sensory Systems
Access to Document
- Retinal Immune Regulation Aging-EU PMC
Copyright 2018 Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits distribution and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and source are cited.