Citicoline AND Glaucoma

Citicoline or CDP-choline is a drug, made up by a cytidine 5'-diphosphate moiety and choline, which upon adsorption is rapidly hydrolyzed into cytidine 5'-diphosphate and choline, easily bypassing the blood-brain barrier. Once in the brain, these metabolites are used to re-synthesize citicoline in neurons and in the other cell histo-types which uptake them. Citicoline administration finds broad therapeutic application in the treatment of glaucoma as well as other retinal disorders by virtue of its safety profile and neuro-protective and neuroenhancer activity, which significantly improves the visual function...

Glaucoma, a heterogeneous set of progressively degenerative optic neuropathies characterized by a loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and typical visual field deficits that can progress to blindness, is a neurodegenerative disease involving both ocular and visual brain structures. Although elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) remains the most important modifiable risk factor of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and is the main therapeutic target in treating glaucoma, other factors that influence the disease course are involved and reaching the optimal IOP target does not stop the progression of glaucoma, as the visual field continues to narrow...

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is currently considered a neurodegenerative systemic disease. The individualised reduction in intraocular pressure alone does not do justice to the complex events in the chronic course of the disease, so that accompanying drug therapy concepts are useful. Based on four therapeutic strategies, such as the improvement of the mitochondrial respiratory chain with coenzyme Q10, the stabilisation of the mitochondrial and cellular plasma membranes with citicoline, the reduction in oxidative stress in the eye and in the body with curcumin and the improvement of fat metabolism, especially LDL cholesterol, with the application of statins, an insight into possible additive therapeutic approaches will be provided...

Objectives. Neuroprotective treatment, including citicoline, is a new perspective in glaucoma management, having the role of progression delay. The purpose of the present study was to observe the evolution of the different parameters in patients with glaucoma treated with citicoline. Methods. 22 patients with GPUD were enrolled in the study, and they received oral citicoline in addition to the ocular hypotensive therapy. Investigations were performed at the beginning of the current study, then at 3 months and 6 months, and included, besides full ophthalmologic checkup and IOP determination, optic nerve and RGCs OCT, and visual evoked potentials, pattern and flash...

Aims: To study the neuroprotective effect of oral citicoline (CT) therapy in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: This study included one eye each of 60 POAG patients. Patients were randomly divided into two groups (A and B) of 30 participants each. Only patients of group A were administered with CT therapy. Age, sex, and disease duration were matched between groups. Despite a stable intraocular pressure (IOP), a slow disease progression-assessed by standard automated white-on-white perimetry (SAP) in the previous 3 years-occurred in all patients...

The cholinergic system has a crucial role to play in visual function. Although cholinergic drugs have been a focus of attention as glaucoma medications for reducing eye pressure, little is known about the potential modality for neuronal survival and/or enhancement in visual impairments. Citicoline, a naturally occurring compound and FDA approved dietary supplement, is a nootropic agent that is recently demonstrated to be effective in ameliorating ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular diseases, memory disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in both humans and animal models...

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the retinal function and the relative neural conduction along the visual pathway after treatment with citicoline in liposomal formulation (CLF) eye drops in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG). METHODS: Twelve OAG patients (mean age ± standard deviation 52.58 ± 11.39 years, intraocular pressure < 18 mmHg under topical hypotensive treatment, Humphrey field analyzer mean deviation - 4.49 ± 2.46 dB) were enrolled...

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been classically considered a microcirculatory disease of the retina. However, there is growing evidence to suggest that retinal neurodegeneration is also an early event in the pathogenesis of DR. Citicoline has been successfully used as a neuroprotective agent in the treatment of glaucoma but their effects on DR remain to be elucidated. On this basis, the main aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of topical administration of citicoline in liposomal formulation on retinal neurodegeneration in db/db mouse and to investigate the underlying mechanisms of action...

Citicoline is the generic name of cytidine-5'-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline), an endogenous compound that is able to increase the levels of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system by interacting with the synthesis of cellular membranes phospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholine. Exogenous Citicoline, administered by ingestion or injection, is hydrolyzed and dephosphorylated in order to form cytidine and choline, which resynthesize CDP-choline inside brain cells. It has proven neuroprotective effects in Alzheimer disease, stroke, and Parkinson's disease, as well as in glaucoma and amblyopia...

BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by retinal ganglion cell death and alterations of visual field. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is considered the main risk factor of glaucoma, even though other factors cannot be ruled out, such as epigenetic mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: An overview of the ultimate promising experimental drugs to manage glaucoma has been provided. RESULTS: In particular, we have focused on purinergic ligands, KATP channel activators, gases (nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide), non-glucocorticoid steroidal compounds, neurotrophic factors, PI3K/Akt activators, citicoline, histone deacetylase inhibitors, cannabinoids, dopamine and serotonin receptors ligands, small interference RNA, and Rho kinase inhibitors...

BACKGROUND: Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the nervous retinal elements which connect the visual receptors to the brain forming the nervous visual system. Functional and/or morphological involvement of RGCs occurs in several ocular and neurological disorders and therefore these cells are targeted in neuroprotective strategies. Cytidine 5-diphosphocholine or Citicoline is an endogenous compound that acts in the biosynthesis of phospholipids of cell membranes and increases neurotransmitters' levels in the Central Nervous System...

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Oral form of citicoline, a nootropic and neuroprotective drug in use for almost five decades, recently was pronounced a food supplement in both USA and EU. The idea of adding citicoline to topical treatment of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) aimed at decreasing intraocular pressure (IOP) appeared as a logical consequence of accepting neurodegenerative character of this disease. Experimental data, and also few clinical studies indicate that this substance has potential to counteract some important pathological mechanisms which seem to contribute to POAG initiation and progression, such as excitotoxicity and oxidative stress...

The retinal dopaminergic system is involved in the myopic shift following form deprivation. Citicoline has been demonstrated to stimulate the dopaminergic system in the brain and retina. Furthermore, citicoline has been used in many neurogenic diseases, such as senile cognitive impairment, stroke and Parkinson's disease as well as in amblyopia and glaucoma. Our aim was to investigate the effect of citicoline on the refractive state and retinal dopamine level in form deprivation myopia of guinea pigs. Guinea pigs, at an age of four weeks, were randomly divided into normal control, deprivation, deprived + citicoline and deprived + vehicle groups...

Cytidine 5'-diphosphocholine or citicoline is an endogenous compound that acts in the biosynthetic pathway of phospholipids of cell membranes, particularly phosphatidylcholine, and it is able to increase neurotrasmitters levels in the central nervous system. Citicoline has shown positive effects in Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, as well as in amblyopia. Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease currently considered a disease involving ocular and visual brain structures. Neuroprotection has been proposed as a valid therapeutic option for those patients progressing despite a well-controlled intraocular pressure, the main risk factor for the progression of the disease...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the retinal function and the neural conduction along the visual pathways after treatment with citicoline eye drops in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG). METHODS: Fifty-six OAG patients (mean age 52.4 ± 4.72 years, IOP <18 mmHg with beta-blocker monotherapy only) were enrolled. Of these, 47 eyes completed the study: 24 OAG eyes were treated with topical citicoline (OMK1®, Omikron Italia, 3 drops/day) (GC eyes) over a 4-month period (month 4) followed by a 2-month period of citicoline wash-out (month 6), and another 23 OAG eyes were only treated with beta-blocker monotherapy (GP eyes)...

PURPOSE: To study the neuroprotective effect of topical citicoline. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental phase to evaluate the ability of citicoline eye drops to reach the vitreous and the retina: The right eyes of 5 mice CD1 were treated with two drops per day for three days of citicoline 1% and 2% (OMK1, Omikron Italia s.r.l.), and then the vitreous was analyzed with the liquid chromatography and spectrometry mass (LC-MS/MS). Clinical phase to determine if topical citicoline is able to delay glaucoma progression, considering perimetric parameters and electro functional tests...

Citicoline is the generic name of the pharmaceutical substance that chemically is cytidine-5'-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline), which is identical to the natural intracellular precursor of phospholipid phosphatidylcholine. Following injection or ingestion, citicoline is believed to undergo quick hydrolysis and dephosphorylation to yield cytidine and choline, which then enter the brain separately and are used to resynthesize CDP-choline inside brain cells. Neuroprotective activity of citicoline has been repeatedly shown in preclinical models of brain ischaemia and trauma, but two recent, large, pivotal clinical trials have revealed no benefits in ischaemic stroke and traumatic brain injury...

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of citicoline on visual field rates of progression in patients with progressing glaucoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-one patients with a diagnosis of progressing glaucoma received citicoline in oral solution for 2 years. Included were patients with a disease progression of at least -1 dB/year (at MD, mean deviation) for at least 3 years before entering the study despite controlled intraocular pressure (IOP). Patients were followed with 4 visual field examinations per year for 2 years...

In order to assess the role of apoptosis in pathogenesis of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) apoptosis markers were studied in blood serum and tear fluid of patients with or suspected to have different stages glaucoma. To date the study of POAC pathogenesis goes along with search of possible ways of pharmacotherapy, neuroprotection is considered to be a promising option. Dynamics of sFas/Apo-1 and sFasL as the markers of Fas-mediated apoptosis was studied during treatment. We used nootropic citicoline as a neuroprotector...