The Relationship between Complements and Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Its Pathogenesis

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration is a retinal disease that causes permanent loss of central vision in people over the age of 65. Its pathogenesis may be related to mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, complement, intestinal flora, and lipid disorders. In addition, the patient’s genes, age, gender, cardiovascular disease, unhealthy diet, and living habits may also be risk factors for this disease. Complement proteins are widely distributed in serum and tissue fluid. In the early 21st century, a connection was found between the complement cascade and age-related macular degeneration. However, little is known about the effect of complement factors on the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. This article reviews the factors associated with age-related macular degeneration, the relationship between each factor and complement, the related functions, and variants and provides new ideas for the treatment of this disease.

The Complement System as a Therapeutic Target in Retinal Disease

“…The complement system is thought to play a considerable role in AMD pathogenesis [ 49 ]. Firstly, individuals who are homozygous for the rs1061170 polymorphism in CFH (Y402H substitution) are associated with a 5.52× increased likelihood of developing AMD [ 50 , 51 , 52 ].…”