[Role of chemokines in the development of age-related macular degeneration]

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of irreversible blindness in industrialized nations. Recent research has emphasized the importance of inflammatory processes in pathogenesis of this disease. Chemotactic cytokines also named chemokines are important mediators of inflammation and might have a role in development of this disease. They appear to be crucial in the subretinal microglia / macrophage accumulation observed in AMD and may participate in the development of retinal degeneration and in choroidal neovascularization. This paper reviews the possible implication of chemokines in the development of AMD.