Polyunsaturated fatty acids in ophthalmology

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential to the human body both as building blocks and as signaling molecules regulating important processes like energy metabolism and inflammation. PUFAs have not achieved widespread use as therapeutic agents except for the use of highly purified omega-3 PUFAs as a triglyceride lowering drug. 

A variety of preclinical studies show beneficial effect of dietary omega-3 PUFAs in treatment of many chronic eye diseases like age related macular degeneration, uveitis, dry eye disease (DED) and retinopathy of prematurity.  Despite  promising results from pre-clinical animal models, there are no drug products on the market based on polyunsaturated fatty acids for treatment of ophthalmic diseases.

Therapeutic targets

There is a broad consensus in the scientific community that  disturbance in energy metabolism, low grade inflammation, and chronic oxidative stress play major roles in the development of many sight-threatening eye diseases like age related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, cataracts, and glaucoma. 

Research from the last 30 years have shown that polyunsaturated fatty acids can regulate these processes by activating a variety of receptors like G-protein-coupled receptors, cannabinoid receptors, and nuclear receptors such as the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs).  Many of these receptors are validated drug targets for metabolic and inflammatory diseases. ​

Biozep has discovered modified polyunsaturated fatty acids that selectively target some of these reseptors with a higher potency than that of the natural PUFAs, which make them into promising drug candidates for a variety of eye diseases.

Peroxisome proliferator-activator receptor alpha.