ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2024
Exploring the Impact of Saccharin on Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Comprehensive Study in Patients and Mice.
Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Does Intrarectal Administration ofNutrients · 2026Article
- [Plasma proteomics in age-related macular degeneration].Die Ophthalmologie · 2026Review
- Saccharin Aggravates Eosinophilic Esophagitis via MAPK3 Interaction: A Network Toxicology and Machine Learning Study With SPR Analysis.Food science & nutrition · 2026Article
- Evaluation of risk promoting effects for age-related macular degeneration by estradiol.PloS one · 2026Article
- AI-driven discovery of blood xenobiotic biomarkers in neovascular age-related macular degeneration using iterative random forests.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2024Observational
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Authors and funding
18 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: We aimed to determine the impact of artificial sweeteners (AS), especially saccharin, on the progression and treatment efficacy of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) under anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF-A) treatment. Methods: In a cross-sectional study involving 46 patients with nAMD undergoing intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy, 6 AS metabolites were detected in peripheral blood using liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Disease features were statistically tested against these metabolite levels. Additionally, a murine choroidal neovascularization (CNV) model, induced by laser, was used to evaluate the effects of orally administered saccharin, assessing both imaging outcomes and gene expression patterns. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods were used to evaluate functional expression of sweet taste receptors in a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell line. Results: Saccharin levels in blood were significantly higher in patients with well-controlled CNV activity (P = 0.004) and those without subretinal hyper-reflective material (P = 0.015). In the murine model, saccharin-treated mice exhibited fewer leaking laser scars, lesser occurrence of bleeding, smaller fibrotic areas (P < 0.05), and a 40% decrease in mononuclear phagocyte accumulation (P = 0.06). Gene analysis indicated downregulation of inflammatory and VEGFR-1 response genes in the treated animals. Human RPE cells expressed taste receptor type 1 member 3 (TAS1R3) mRNA and reacted to saccharin stimulation with changes in mRNA expression. Conclusions: Saccharin appears to play a protective role in patients with nAMD undergoing intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment, aiding in better pathological lesion control and scar reduction. The murine study supports this observation, proposing saccharin's potential in mitigating pathological VEGFR-1-induced immune responses potentially via the RPE sensing saccharin in the blood stream.
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