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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
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Folic Acid Supplementation Inhibits Proliferative Retinopathy of Prematurity
Shen Nian1,2, Yan Zeng1, Katarina E Heyden3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Biomolecules
|February 26, 2025
Summary
Folic acid deficiency worsens retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in mice. Supplementation with folic acid may offer a safe, early-stage treatment for ROP, a leading cause of childhood blindness.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of childhood blindness.
- ROP is a biphasic disease involving abnormal retinal vessel growth.
- Premature infants are at high risk for folate deficiency, but its role in ROP is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of folic acid in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
- To determine if folic acid supplementation can prevent or treat ROP.
Main Methods:
- Mouse oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model was used.
- Maternal diet or pup injections manipulated folic acid levels.
- Gene expression and retinal folate levels were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Folic acid deficiency exacerbated OIR, while supplementation suppressed it.
- Folate cycle genes were downregulated in OIR retinas and expressed in Müller glia.
- Folic acid reduced pro-angiogenic signaling in retinal Müller glia.
Conclusions:
- Folic acid plays a critical role in regulating retinal angiogenesis.
- Folic acid supplementation may be a safe and effective early treatment for ROP.
