Citicoline Oral Supplementation as Neuroprotection Independent of IOP in a Rat Model of Glaucoma

Article: Citicoline Protects Against Glaucoma Without Reducing Fluid Pressure in Eye
Source: NYU Langone Health, via NEI
Published: April 14, 2021

Citicoline is a major source of choline, a building block of cell membranes, including those of the nerve cells that transmit information from the eye to the brain. The authors note that previous studies in humans and rodent models of glaucoma showed lower levels of choline in the brain, but there has been little research into the effectiveness of choline supplementation as a glaucoma therapy. The present study in rats found that ingesting citicoline restored optic nerve signals between the eye and the brain independent of intraocular pressure (IOP). As such, citicoline is of particular interest as a novel mechanism for the treatment of glaucoma. In the vast majority of cases, elevated eye pressure is a risk factor for damage to the optic nerve, resulting in glaucoma. However, many studies have shown that glaucoma progression continues despite good eye pressure control, suggesting additional mechanisms of the disease. Despite hints of alternative mechanisms, contributing to normal tension glaucoma, for example, eye pressure has been the only variable that can be modified clinically. Neural protection and reversal of optic nerve damage are the holy grails of glaucoma research. The fact that citicholine can reduce vision loss in mice independent of eye pressure is intriguing. In particular, the research team induced glaucoma in several dozen rats using a clear gel. For rats with mildly elevated IOP, optic nerve and other tissues decayed for up to five weeks after injury. In rats treated with oral doses of citicoline over a three-week period, nerve degradation was reduced by 74%, suggesting a neuroprotective effect. Furthermore, reduced vision loss was sustained for another three weeks after treatment was stopped. The researchers caution that there are several steps between lab research and commercial development of an effective drug. They next intend to further investigate the connection between choline and neural protection.

My rating of this study: ⭐⭐

Van der Merwe Y, Murphy MC, Sims JR, et al. "Citicoline Modulates Glaucomatous Neurodegeneration Through Intraocular Pressure-Independent Control." Neurotherapeutics. 13 April 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13311-021-01033-6