Evidence mapPaperPMID 41809655Full record

ReviewExperimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.)2026

The gut-retina axis in age-related macular degeneration: immune crosstalk and metabolite production.

Beryl Zhou, Zaid Parekh, Christopher Phung, Sarah H Rodriguez, Dimitra Skondra

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Beryl Zhou *Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
Zaid Parekh *Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
Christopher PhungPritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
Sarah H RodriguezDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
Dimitra SkondraDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Current therapies slow down advanced features but do not halt or reverse degeneration and neovascularization in dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Recent research implicates the gastrointestinal microbiome as a potential critical modulator in AMD pathogenesis through the gut-retina axis. Dysbiosis, characterized by imbalanced microbial diversity, composition and function, can exacerbate systemic and retinal inflammation through microglial priming, inflammasome activation, and secretion of pro-angiogenic cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, VEGF). Additionally, microbiome-derived metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and bile acids may exert modulatory roles in host immunity and homeostasis. Their depletion in conjunction with enrichment of specific microbial taxa have been linked to progression of advanced AMD. Together, these complex systems of immune crosstalk in relation to dysbiosis highlight the gut-retina axis as a promising therapeutic target. Dietary modifications, particularly Mediterranean and high-fiber diets, enhance production of protective metabolites and are associated with decreased AMD progression risk compared to Western dietary patterns. Experimental strategies such as fecal microbiota transplantation in animal models and drug repurposing strategies show promise in modulating disease severity. This review synthesizes current mechanistic insights into microbial-immune crosstalk in AMD, emphasizing the interplay of dysbiosis, immune activation, and metabolite signaling.

Indexed as

Gastrointestinal MicrobiomeMacular DegenerationRetinaAnimalsDysbiosisHumansage-related macular degenerationbile acidscomplement systemgut microbiomegut-retina axisimmune crosstalkshort-chain fatty acids

Identifiers

PMID41809655
PMCPMC12968045

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.