Past history of obesity and immune memory in age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common neuroinflammatory diseases that is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. AMD is caused by not only mutations in immune-related genes such as Cfh (complement factor H) but also the accumulation of environmental factors such as obesity and other inflammatory triggers with age. Our study found that the past histories of obesity can lead to immunological reprogramming in the innate immune system and affect the development of AMD in later life. This reveals a new link in the role of innate immune memory in neuroinflammatory diseases such as AMD, and intervention in innate immune memory may be a new therapeutic strategy.