Inflammatory biomarkers for AMD.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, affecting an estimated 50 million individuals aged over 65 years.Environmental and genetic risk-factors implicate chronic inflammation in the etiology of AMD, contributing to the formation of drusen, retinal pigment epithelial cell dysfunction and photoreceptor cell death. Consistent with a role for chronic inflammation in AMD pathogenesis, several inflammatory mediators, including complement components, chemokines and cytokines, are elevated at both the local and systemic levels in AMD patients. These mediators have diverse roles in the alternative complement pathway, including recruitment of inflammatory cells, activation of the inflammasome, promotion of neovascularisation and in the resolution of inflammation. The utility of inflammatory biomarkers in assessing individual risk and progression of the disease is controversial. However, understanding the role of these inflammatory mediators in AMD onset, progression and response to treatment may increase our knowledge of disease pathogenesis and provide novel therapeutic options in the future.