Antioxidants and Retinal Diseases

Abstract

The retina is a thin membrane derived from the neuroectoderm, it is the physical morphological substrate in which the transformation of light energy into electrical impulses, that later will be led to the cerebral cortex, is performed. Due to its prosencephalic embryological origin, the retina is normally considered a specially di erentiated part of the brain. It is a very complex tissue, formed by multiple cell layers and by several types of neuronal cells (ganglion, bipolar, horizontal, amacrine, and photoreceptor cells), microglia (macrophages), macroglia (Müller cells, astrocytes), and vascular cells (endothelium and pericytes). Under physiological conditions, the retina is characterized by a high oxygen consumption rate, intense exposition to pro-oxidizing agents (i.e., light) and a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially in the photoreceptor membranes). Therefore, retina is especially susceptible to oxidative stress.