Pain Reliever Shows Promise in Prevention of Retinal Damage
The drug, pentazocine, a pain reliever, has been shown to prevent damage to the retina in diabetic mice. According to a press release from the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), where the study took place, the results are impressive.
"The effects of this drug on retinal health are phenomenal," says Dr. Sylvia Smith, retinal cell biologist and co-director of the Vision Discovery Institute in the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine.
The drug appears to bind with sigma receptors in the retina and helps boost the protection of cells from stress. Excess glucose in the blood can cause stress and ultimately damage in the retina by interfering with the function of nerve cells. Sigma receptors help manage cellular stress by regulating protein synthesis.
What does this mean? When sigma receptors are activated, they make sure that enough proteins get where they need to go, to keep cells working properly. When the retina is under attack from a stress like diabetes, the sigma receptors are called into action. Pentazocine binds with the sigma receptors and increases the effectiveness of this process, resulting in a dramatic preservation of the retina and it's function.
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. This study holds promise that medications that bind with the sigma receptor in the eye might someday help treat not only retinopathy but also conditions such as glaucoma.
The study is published in the September issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
More on retinopathy...
Comments
Thanks for all the great info. I am so glad you published the iformation about Diabulimia.
Perhaps if normal blood glucose were achieved eye damage wouldn’t be a problem? My A1c is 5.3, and has been for 2 years. I am on no medication, controlled by diet & exercise alone.