Recent research published in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology investigated the regulatory mechanism of STRA6 in choroidal neovascularization (CNV) under circadian rhythm disturbances through in vivo and in vitro animal studies using full-range SS-OCTA.

This study represents the first attempt to establish a connection between circadian rhythms and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A circadian rhythm in VEGF expression was observed, suggesting that a disrupted circadian rhythm may lead to decreased VEGF levels under physiological conditions. STRA6 knockdown effectively mitigated the CNV-promoting effects of circadian rhythm disturbances in both mouse and cell models. In vitro evidence indicated that STRA6 reduces CNV production by inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 phosphorylation following circadian rhythm disturbances. "These findings suggest that STRA6 may represent a novel therapeutic target for AMD."

A 400 kHz swept-source OCTA (BMizar, TowardPi Medical) was used in this study to obtain OCT and OCTA images of mice. No additional lens was required to capture images of animal eyes. The thickness, area, and blood flow of CNV lesions were automatically quantified using the device’s built-in software.

This research was conducted by Dr. Ying Yang, Dr. Shenglai Zhang, and the team led by Prof. Jia Chen and Prof. Aimin Sang from the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University.

Link to the full text: https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2800798