Dietary ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are protective for myopia

  • Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Oct 26;118(43):e2104689118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2104689118.
Miaozhen Pan  1  2 ,  Fei Zhao  1  2 ,  Bintao Xie  1  2 ,  Hao Wu  1  2 ,  Sen Zhang  1  2 ,  Cong Ye  1  3 ,  Zhenqi Guan  1  2 ,  Lin Kang  1  2 ,  Yuqing Zhang  1  2 ,  Xuan Zhou  1  2 ,  Yi Lei  1  2 ,  Qi Wang  1  2 ,  Li Wang  1  2 ,  Fan Yang  1  2 ,  Chenchen Zhao  1  2 ,  Jia Qu  4  2  3  5 ,  Xiangtian Zhou  4  2  3  5  6
Affiliations
  • 1. School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China.
  • 2. State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology, and Vision Science, Wenzhou 325027, China.
  • 3. National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Wenzhou 325027, China.
  • 4. School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China; [email protected] [email protected].
  • 5. Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health, Wenzhou 325001, China.
  • 6. Research Unit of Myopia Basic Research and Clinical Prevention and Control, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wenzhou 325027, China.
PMID: 34675076 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2104689118
Abstract

Myopia is a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness worldwide. However, a safe and accessible approach for myopia control and prevention is currently unavailable. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effect of dietary supplements of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) on myopia progression in animal models and on decreases in choroidal blood perfusion (ChBP) caused by near work, a risk factor for myopia in young adults. We demonstrated that daily gavage of ω-3 PUFAs (300 mg docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] plus 60 mg eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]) significantly attenuated the development of form deprivation myopia in guinea pigs and mice, as well as of lens-induced myopia in guinea pigs. Peribulbar injections of DHA also inhibited myopia progression in form-deprived guinea pigs. The suppression of myopia in guinea pigs was accompanied by inhibition of the "ChBP reduction-scleral hypoxia cascade." Additionally, treatment with DHA or EPA antagonized hypoxia-induced myofibroblast transdifferentiation in cultured human scleral fibroblasts. In human subjects, oral administration of ω-3 PUFAs partially alleviated the near-work-induced decreases in ChBP. Therefore, evidence from these animal and human studies suggests ω-3 PUFAs are potential and readily available candidates for myopia control.

Keywords
choroidal blood perfusion; myofibroblast transdifferentiation; myopia; scleral hypoxia; ω-3 PUFAs.
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