Known to protect nerve cells, orally administered citicoline has also been shown to slow glaucoma by up to 74% in a rat model, according to a new study by researchers from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA.
Published in Neurotherapeutics, the study showed that ingesting citicoline – a source of choline available as a dietary supplement shown to help memory loss in older people – restored optic nerve signals to near-normal levels in rats without reducing intraocular pressure (IOP). "Our study suggests that citicoline protects against glaucoma through a mechanism different from that of standard treatments that reduce fluid pressure," said lead author Assistant Professor Kevin Chan. "Since glaucoma interrupts the connection between the brain and eye, we hope to strengthen it with new types of therapies." The study’s authors said the treatment’s effects were sustained for three weeks following discontinuation.
Previous studies have shown that humans and rodents with glaucoma have diminished levels of choline in the brain. Until now, there's been little evidence of the effectiveness of choline supplements as a therapy for glaucoma or why it occurs in lower levels in glaucoma patients, said A/Prof Chan.
Researchers noted that citicoline supplements are untested for treating glaucoma in humans, but they now intend to investigate the mechanism of choline decline in glaucoma patients and how citicoline repairs optic nerve damage.
