INHIBITION OF MTOR PATHWAY TO PREVENT PHOTORECEPTOR CELL DAMAGE

doi:10.4066/2591-7951-C4-011

INHIBITION OF MTOR PATHWAY TO PREVENT PHOTORECEPTOR CELL DAMAGE

Joint Event on 19^th International Conference on OCULAR PHARMACOLOGY AND EYE CARE & World Congress on PUBLIC HEALTH, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND NUTRITION
September 03 -04 , 2018 | Lisbon , Portugal

Umur Kayabasi

Uskudar University, Turkey

Scientific Tracks Abstracts : Arch Gen Intern Med

DOI: 10.4066/2591-7951-C4-011

Abstract:

Introductıon: mTOR is a cytoplasmic kinase that regulates cell growth and metabolism in response to mitogens (such as IGF-I and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)), nutrients (amino acids, glucose and fatty acids), hormones including insulin and cytokines. This pathway is essential for development and growth of the young organism. But later in life, when growth has been completed, mTOR drives cellular and organismal aging by acquiring pro-inflammatory and signal resistant characteristics. mTOR pathway also takes part in retinal degenerative diseases. Methods: 10 patients with mid stage retinitis pigmentosa (RP) were treated by intravitreal rapamycin and oral metformin plus resveratrol for six months. 10 other RP patients were given placebo. The average age of the patients was 28. After one year, change in visual acuity and visual fields (VF) was recorded. Results: Difference in change in visual acuity did not reach a significant statistical result between the two groups whilst the visual fields were either protected or slightly improved in the treatment group. The difference in mean deviation before and after one year follow up between the two groups was statistically significant. (P:0.001) VF deteriorated in the placebo group, but was preserved in the Treatment group. Conclusion: Inhibition of mTOR maintains cellular proteostasis and attenuates oxidative stress by reducing misfolded protein synthesis and augmenting autophagy to remove misfolded proteins caused by gene mutations. The combination of rapamycin, metformin and resveratrol may help to stabilize VF loss in hereditary retinal diseases.

Biography:

Umur Kayabasi is a graduate of Istanbul Medical Faculty. After working as an Assistant in Ophthalmology, he completed his clinical fellowship program of Neuro- Ophthalmology and Eectrophysiology at Michigan State University in 1995. After working as a Consultant Neuro- Ophthalmologist in Istanbul, he worked at Wills Eye Hospital for three months as an observer. He has been working at World Eye Hospital since 2000. He has chapters in different neuro- ophthalmology books, arranged international symposiums, attended TV programs to advertise the neuro-ophthalmology subspecialty. He has also given lectures at local and international meetings, plus published papers in neuro ophthalmology.

E-mail: kayabasi@yahoo.com

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