Effective protection of photoreceptors using an inflammation-responsive hydrogel to attenuate outer retinal degeneration.

ABSTRACT: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an outer retinal degenerative disease that can lead to photoreceptor cell death and profound vision loss. Although effective regulation of intraretinal inflammation can slow down the progression of the disease, an efficient anti-inflammatory treatment strategy is still lacking. This study reports the fabrication of a hyaluronic acid-based inflammation-responsive hydrogel (IRH) and its epigenetic regulation effects on retinal degeneration. The injectable IRH was designed to respond to cathepsin overexpression in an inflammatory environment. The epigenetic drug, the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) inhibitors, was loaded into the hydrogel to attenuate inflammatory factors. On-demand anti-inflammatory effects of microglia cells via the drug-loaded IRH were verif

SUBMITTER: Kim H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10721838 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature