Aging Cell Stress accelerates retinal degeneration, similar to natural aging

There are many eye diseases that can impair vision, many of which are related
to aging.
A new study in mice by researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) shows that stress, such as elevated intraocular intraocular pressure (IOP), causes epigenetic changes
in retinal tissue that resemble natural aging.
Their findings reveal a characteristic that
repetitive stress leads to accelerated aging.

The study, published in an article in the journal Aging Cell titled "Stress-induced Eye Aging in Mice," was led
by Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, Ph.
D.
, assistant professor in the Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Ophthalmology at the UCI School of Medicine and faculty member at the Center for Translational Vision Research.

"Aging, a universal process that affects all cells in an organism, is a major risk factor for a group of neurological diseases known as glaucoma, in which elevated intraocular pressure is one of
the known stresses that affect tissue," the researchers wrote.
Our understanding of the molecular effects of aging on retinal stress responses is very limited; Therefore, we developed a new mouse model to solve this
problem experimentally.
Here, we found that sensitivity to stress responses increases with age and is initiated
at the chromatin level.
We demonstrate that the stress response activated by ocular hypertension is similar to natural aging and involves inflammation and activation of aging
.
”

Skowronska-Krawczyk said: "Our work highlights the importance of early diagnosis and prevention, as well as the importance
of age-specific treatment of age-related diseases including glaucoma.
The epigenetic changes we observed suggest that changes in chromatin levels are acquired
cumulatively after several stresses.
This gives us a window of opportunity to prevent vision loss if the disease is detected early
.
”

In humans, intraocular pressure has a circadian rhythm
.
Long-term intraocular pressure fluctuations have been reported to be an important predictor
of glaucoma progression.
This new study by UCI researchers shows that the cumulative effects of intraocular pressure fluctuations directly contribute to the aging
of tissues.

Skowronska-Krawczyk said: "Our study shows that in older animals, even moderate intraocular pressure elevation leads to retinal ganglion cell loss and corresponding visual defects
.
We are continuing our efforts to understand the mechanisms underlying cumulative changes in the aging process in order to identify potential therapeutic targets
.
We are also testing different methods to prevent stress-induced accelerated aging processes
.
”

"In addition to measuring vision loss and some structural changes due to stress and potential treatments, Skowronska-Krawczyk said, "We can now measure the epigenetic age of retinal tissue and use it to find the best strategies
to prevent vision loss during aging.
"

This discovery could pave the way
for designing new treatments for glaucoma patients.