ArticlePloS one2020
The distribution of toxic metals in the human retina and optic nerve head: Implications for age-related macular degeneration.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Arsenic exposure promotes retinal pigment epithelium dysfunction and oxidative stress via NF-κB pathway.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Metallomic Analysis of Vitreous Humor of the Human Eye-A Post-Mortem Multielemental Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- From environmental exposure to retinal pathology: epidemiological and mechanistic insights into multi-metal driven ocular diseases.Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2026Article
- Through the Eye: Retinal Changes of Prenatal Mercury Exposure in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Canada.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Transferrin is a drug candidate for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).Cell death & disease · 2025Article
- Combined exposure to three heavy metals and the risk of age-related macular degeneration in the Korean population.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Association of exposure to urinary and blood heavy metals with visual disability among U.S. adults in NHANES 2013-2018.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Ferroptosis in ocular diseases: mechanisms, crosstalk with other cell death pathways, and therapeutic prospects.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Machine learning model for age-related macular degeneration based on heavy metals: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2008.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Characterizing visual field loss from past mercury exposure in an Indigenous riverine community (Grassy Narrows First Nation, Canada): a cluster-based approach.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2024Article
- Immunogenetic and Environmental Factors in Age-Related Macular Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Retinal toxicity of heavy metals and its involvement in retinal pathology.Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association · 2024Review
- Elemental biomapping of human tissues suggests toxic metals such as mercury play a role in the pathogenesis of cancer.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Article
- Article
- Potentially toxic elements in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- The toxic metal hypothesis for neurological disorders.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Clinical association between trace elements of tear and dry eye metrics.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Quantitative mapping of mercury and selenium in mushroom fruit bodies with laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry · 2022Article
- Associations between Biomarkers of Metal Exposure and Dry Eye Metrics in Shipyard Welders: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Research into the Association of Cadmium and Manganese Excretion with Thyroid Function and Behavioral Areas in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveToxic metals are suspected to play a role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. However, difficulties in detecting the presence of multiple toxic metals within the intact human retina, and in separating primary metal toxicity from the secondary uptake of metals in damaged tissue, have hindered progress in this field. We therefore looked for the presence of several toxic metals in the posterior segment of normal adult eyes using elemental bioimaging.
methodsParaffin sections of the posterior segment of the eye from seven tissue donors (age range 54-74 years) to an eye bank were examined for toxic metals in situ using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, a technique that detects multiple elements in tissues, as well as the histochemical technique of autometallography that demonstrates inorganic mercury, silver, and bismuth. No donor had a visual impairment, and no significant retinal abnormalities were seen on post mortem fundoscopy and histology.
resultsMetals found by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in the retinal pigment epithelium and choriocapillaris were lead (n = 7), nickel (n = 7), iron (n = 7), cadmium (n = 6), mercury (n = 6), bismuth (n = 5), aluminium (n = 3), and silver (n = 1). In the neural retina, mercury was present in six samples, and iron in one. Metals detected in the optic nerve head were iron (N = 7), mercury (N = 7), nickel (N = 4), and aluminium (N = 1). No gold or chromium was seen. Autometallography demonstrated probable inorganic mercury in the retinal pigment epithelium of one donor.
conclusionSeveral toxic metals are taken up by the human retina and optic nerve head. Injury to the retinal pigment epithelium from toxic metals could damage the neuroprotective functions of the retinal pigment epithelium and allow toxic metals to enter the outer neural retina. These findings support the hypothesis that accumulations of toxic metals in the retina could contribute to the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.