Rho kinase inhibitors for glaucoma treatment - Review

• Autor(a) principal: Germano,Renato Antunes Schiave
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Finzi,Simone, Challa,Pratap, Susanna Junior,Remo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Arquivos brasileiros de oftalmologia (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-27492015000600388
• topic: Glaucoma; Intraocular pressure; Rho-associated kinases; Aqueous humor; Trabecular meshwork

ABSTRACT Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by the loss of ganglion cells and their axons. A major risk factor for glaucomatous visual field loss is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), and several studies have shown that lowering IOP reduces the risk of glaucomatous progression. Currently, an increasing number of researches involve Rho kinase inhibitors, which are a new pharmacological class of hypotensive agents specifically targeting the diseased trabecular outflow pathway. Rho kinase inhibitors reduce IOP by increasing aqueous humor drainage through the primary outflow pathway in the eye, which is known as the trabecular meshwork. In addition to improving the outflow facility of the trabecular meshwork, Rho kinase inhibitors also enhance retinal ganglion cell survival after ischemic injury and increase ocular blood flow.