A simple fatty acid can restore weak vision

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have taken a closer look at this question, investigating a potential treatment aimed at slowing or even reversing “aging” in the eye while preventing age-related diseases such as macular degeneration (AMD).

“We have shown that age-related vision loss can be reversed,” explains Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. The study, conducted in partnership with scientists from the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Health and Medicine in Potsdam, Germany, presents the results published in Science Translational Medicine Titled “Retinal polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation reverses age-related vision decline in mice.”

Understanding the “aging” gene.

This research builds on previous work involving elongation of long-chain fatty acid protein 2 (ELOVL2), a well-established biomarker of aging. “We have shown that we have poor vision when the ELOVL2 enzyme is not active,” says Skowronska-Krawczyk, who is also part of the Robert M. Bronson Center for Translational Vision Research at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. In that previous study, enhancing ELOVL2 activity in aged mice increased levels of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the eye and led to better vision.

The new research aims to find a way to achieve similar benefits without relying on the ELOVL2 enzyme.

With age, changes in lipid metabolism reduce the amount of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs) in the retina. This decrease can impair vision and contribute to AMD. The ELOVL2 gene plays a crucial role in the production of both VLC-PUFAs and DHA.

When the researchers injected older mice with a specific polyunsaturated fatty acid, their visual performance improved. “It’s a proof of concept to turn fat injection into a potential treatment,” says Skowronska-Krawczyk. “What’s important is that we didn’t see the same effect with DHA.” Others have also questioned DHA’s ability to slow the progression of AMD.

“Our work confirms the fact that DHA alone can’t do this work, but we have this other fatty acid that seems to work and improve vision in elderly animals,” Skowronska-Krawczyk says. “We’ve also shown at the molecular level that it actually reverses traits of aging.”

Furthermore, researchers have found genetic variants in the ELOVL2 enzyme that are associated with faster progression of AMD. “We now actually have a genetic connection to the disease and its aging aspects, so we can identify people who are most at risk of developing vision loss,” Skowronska-Krawczyk says. This can lead not only to curative treatment options but also to targeted interventions for prevention.

These findings reinforce Skowronska-Krawczyk’s view about the importance of the ELOVL2 enzyme. “I’m absolutely convinced that it’s one of the most important aging genes that we should look at when we think about anti-aging treatments.”

Looking beyond the retina

In collaboration with researchers from the University of California, San Diego, Skowronska-Krawczyk also began exploring the role of lipid metabolism in immune system aging. That study found that ELOVL2 deficiency leads to accelerated aging of immune cells, suggesting that systemic lipid supplementation could counteract the effects of age on the immune system. It has also been suggested that fat metabolism may play a role in blood cancers.

“Our first study explored a potential treatment to treat vision loss, but with the information we have since learned about immunosenescence, we hope that complementary therapy will boost the immune system as well,” says Skowronska-Krawczyk.