Review: The bile acids urso- and tauroursodeoxycholic acid as neuroprotective therapies in retinal disease

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Alejandra Daruich, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité; Emilie Picard, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité; Jeffrey Boatright, Emory University; Francine Behar-Cohen, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-10-14
• Publisher: Molecular Vision
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2019 Molecular Vision.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Molecular Vision
• Volume: 25
• Start Page: 610
• End Page: 624
• Grant/Funding Information: Authors acknowledge support from the Abraham J and Phyllis Katz Foundation, USA; Fondation de l’avenir, France; Association Française des Amblyopes Unilatéraux, France; NIH R01EY028859 and VA I01RX002806, USA.
• Keywords: GLUCOCORTICOID-RECEPTOR; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID; Ophthalmology; TUDCA; VITAMIN-D-RECEPTOR; NUCLEAR STEROID-RECEPTORS; MOUSE MODEL; DIABETIC-RETINOPATHY; CELL-DEATH; Science & Technology; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; PIGMENT EPITHELIUM; URSODEOXYCHOLIC ACID
• Research Categories: Chemistry, Biochemistry; Health Sciences, Nutrition

Abstract

Bile acids are produced in the liver and excreted into the intestine, where their main function is to participate in lipid digestion. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) have shown antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects in various models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, little is known about signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms through which these bile acids act as neuroprotectors, delaying translation to the clinical setting. We review evidence supporting a potentially therapeutic role for bile acids in retinal disorders, and the mechanisms and pathways involved in the cytoprotective effects of bile acids from the liver and the enterohepatic circulation to the central nervous system and the retina. As secondary bile acids are generated by the microbiota metabolism, bile acids might be a link between neurodegenerative retinal diseases and microbiota.