New research reveals underlying mechanisms of eye inflammation
A new study published in The American Journal of Pathology provides new evidence that immune cells enter the retina via the body's standard pathway, identifying PECAM as the gatekeeper and neutrophils as proresolving mediators. This research offers new insights into how eye inflammation develops and could lead to better-targeted treatment options.
A recent study published in The American Journal of Pathology has uncovered key insights into the development of eye inflammation, potentially paving the way for more targeted treatments. Researchers focused on the blood vessels of the retina, which comprise part of the blood-brain barrier, to understand the molecules and mechanisms regulating transendothelial migration in different vascular beds of the body.
They discovered that white blood cells pass through the blood-retinal barrier via the same mechanism as in the rest of the body, with PECAM acting as the gatekeeper. Neutrophils serve as the first responders in the early stages of inflammation, helping recruit monocytes. After 48 hours, neutrophils largely disappear, leaving monocytes that remain in the retina for up to 72 hours.
Surprisingly, blocking PECAM led to reduced infiltration of neutrophils, T cells, and monocytes into the retina, improving clinical outcomes in a uveitis model. This suggests that targeting PECAM could offer a more effective and safer approach to treating uveitis, particularly in resource-limited settings where infection-related uveitis is prevalent.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
