MicroRNAs as Potential Biomarkers of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract

The leading cause of vision loss in older adults is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease of the retina that is becoming the leading cause of central vision loss in people over 55 years of age. The course of AMD depends on many interacting factors: genetic, environmental, and epigenetic, including changes in microRNA expression patterns. MicroRNAs are a large group of small noncoding regulatory RNA molecules that modulate the expression of target genes by blocking translation through complementary binding of messenger RNAs. The freeze–thaw stability of microRNAs in plasma/serum/urine, efficient recovery, and the availability of quantitative detection methods expand the possibilities of their use as biomarkers as well as potential mediators of physiological and pathological processes. Assessing the circulating pool of miRNAs in various biological fluids, such as blood plasma, is considered a promising approach to diagnosing AMD and assessing the effectiveness of future therapy, which may contribute to early detection of the disease and monitoring of AMD progression. The review summarizes recent studies with a focus on clinical and experimental studies of neovascular AMD, which have established the involvement of various microRNAs in the processes of pathological angiogenesis and the possibility of their use as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.