Transcriptome comparison between Old vs young rat retinae

Visual decline in the elderly is often attributable to retinal aging, which predisposes the tissue to pathologies including age-related macular degeneration. Currently, effective oral pharmacological interventions for retinal degeneration are limited. Utilizing the Fischer 344 rat model of aging, we evaluated the efficacy of 8-aminoguanine (8-AG), a compound previously shown for multi-organ protection, against age-related retinal degeneration. Remarkably, administration of 8-AG at a dosage of 5 mg/kg body weight via drinking water from 22 months of age for a duration of 8 weeks resulted in substantial retinal preservation evidenced by an increase in retinal thickness, a greater number of photoreceptors with longer outer segments, and enhanced electroretinogram signals. RNA sequencing and subsequent analyses revealed pronounced anti-inflammatory effects by 8-AG on both adaptive and innate immune responses within the aged retina.