C20D3-Vitamin A Prevents Retinal Pigment Epithelium Atrophic Changes in a Mouse Model

This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of vitamin A dimerization to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophic changes. Leading causes of irreversible blindness, including Stargardt disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), occur as a result of atrophic changes in RPE. The cause of the RPE atrophic changes is not apparent. During the vitamin A cycle, vitamin A dimerizes, leading to vitamin A cycle byproducts, such as vitamin A dimers, in the RPE.

To study the consequence of vitamin A dimerization to RPE atrophic changes, we used a rodent model with accelerated vitamin A dimerization, Abca4-/-/Rdh8-/- mice, and the vitamin A analog C20D3-vitamin A to selectively ameliorate the accelerated rate of vitamin A dimerization.

We show that ameliorating the rate of vitamin A dimerization with C20D3-vitamin A mitigates pathological changes observed in the prodromal phase of the most prevalent retinal degenerative diseases, including fundus autofluorescence changes, dark adaptation delays, and signature RPE atrophic changes.

Data demonstrate that the dimerization of vitamin A during the vitamin A cycle is sufficient alone to cause the prerequisite RPE atrophic changes thought to be responsible for the leading causes of irreversible blindness and that correcting the dimerization rate with C20D3-vitamin A may be sufficient to prevent the RPE atrophic changes.

Preventing the dimerization of vitamin A with the vitamin A analog C20D3-vitamin A may be sufficient to alter the clinical course of the most prevalent forms of blindness, including Stargardt disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).