Role and regulation of kinases in age-related macular degeneration

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of chronic blindness in the elderly and causes retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor cells to degenerate and die. However, the specific pathogenic mechanism of AMD has yet to be explored. The development of new AMD therapeutics is urgently required. MAIN BODY: Studies have shown that kinases are increasingly important in AMD pathogenesis and treatment. Inhibition of apoptosis in retinal cells, such as RPE cells, maintenance of normal cellular metabolism, and preservation of normal autophagy are among the pathways involved in treating AMD. This is associated with kinase-related pathways, such as the PI3K/Akt, MAPK/ERK, JAK/STAT, mTOR, Ang-Tie, and AMPK signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: In this review, we highlight recent advances in kinase-related pathways in treating AMD, to provide new directions for the prevention and treatment of AMD.