Can vitamin D protect against age-related macular degeneration or slow its progression?

Abstract

Dietary vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining proper vision. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex eye disease with unknown pathogenesis. Studies on dietary supplementation and AMD occurrence and progression have produced conflicting results. In its advanced stage, AMD may be associated with apoptosis, pyroptosis or necroptosis of retinal cells. Vitamin D has been reported to play a role in modulating each of these programmed death pathways. Vitamin D is a modulator of the immune system and it acts synergistically with two members of the regulators of complement activation family H and I, whose specific variants are the most important genetic factors for AMD pathogenesis. Angiogenesis is an essential component of the neovascular form of AMD, the most devastating type of the disease and vitamin D is reputed to possess antiangiogenic properties. Cellular DNA damage response is weakened in AMD patients and so it is another process that can be modulated by vitamin D. Finally, impaired autophagy is claimed to play a role in AMD and emerging evidence suggests that vitamin D can influence autophagy. Therefore, several pathways of vitamin D metabolism and AMD pathogenesis overlap, suggesting that vitamin D could modulate the course of AMD.

Untargeted metabolomics for uncovering plasma biological markers of wet age-related macular degeneration

“…Vitamin D is the regulator of the immune system, which cooperates with CFH and CFI in the complement system and is involved in wAMD pathogenesis [ 51 ]. We found that there was a significant difference in vitamin D3 between the wAMD or CNV and controls.…”

“…We found that there was a significant difference in vitamin D3 between the wAMD or CNV and controls. Previous studies [ 51 , 52 ] showed that a vitamin D-rich diet can prevent or delay the occurrence and development of AMD, especially CNV. Vitamin D has also been shown to be antiangiogenic [ 53 ], which is involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis [ 54 ].…”

Food Supplements in the Treatment of Ophthalmic Diseases: Preclinical and Clinical Studies

“…However, among the many clinical observations and studies run on the efficacy of vitamins A, C, E, not all the results could confirm their efficacy on the decourse of AMD [396]. As to vitamin D, its role in the prevention of AMD seems to be ascertained, though the amount to be given as food supplement is still in need of better clarification [435].…”

Biological Factors, Metals, and Biomaterials Regulating Osteogenesis through Autophagy

“…The positive effects of dietary nutrients are largely correlated with autophagy in cancer, neurodegeneration, and many other pathological conditions [30,31]. Vitamins in particular are regulatory of autophagy in various situations, ranging from ocular disease to cancer and disorders of the digestive systems [32][33][34][35][36].…”