Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 May;34(5):1049-1069.
doi: 10.1007/s12325-017-0513-z. Epub 2017 Mar 27.

Targeting Schlemm's Canal in the Medical Therapy of Glaucoma: Current and Future Considerations

Vanessa Andrés-Guerrero  1   2 , Julián García-Feijoo  1   3   2 , Anastasios Georgios Konstas  4
Affiliations
Review

Targeting Schlemm's Canal in the Medical Therapy of Glaucoma: Current and Future Considerations

Vanessa Andrés-Guerrero et al. Adv Ther. 2017 May.

Abstract

Schlemm's canal (SC) is a unique, complex vascular structure responsible for maintaining fluid homeostasis within the anterior segment of the eye by draining the excess of aqueous humour. In glaucoma, a heterogeneous group of eye disorders afflicting approximately 60 million individuals worldwide, the normal outflow of aqueous humour into SC is progressively hindered, leading to a gradual increase in outflow resistance, which gradually results in elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). By and large available antiglaucoma therapies do not target the site of the pathology (SC), but rather aim to decrease IOP by other mechanisms, either reducing aqueous production or by diverting aqueous flow through the unconventional outflow system. The present review first outlines our current understanding on the functional anatomy of SC. It then summarizes existing research on SC cell properties; first in the context of their role in glaucoma development/progression and then as a target of novel and emerging antiglaucoma therapies. Evidence from ongoing research efforts to develop effective antiglaucoma therapies targeting SC suggests that this could become a promising site of future therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: Actin polymerization inhibitors; Adenosine receptor agonists; Antiglaucoma drug development; Aqueous humour; Glaucoma; Intraocular pressure; Nitric oxide donors; Ophthalmology; Rho Kinase inhibitors; Schlemm’s canal.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Quigley HA, Broman AT. The number of people with glaucoma worldwide in 2010 and 2020. Br J Ophthalmol. 2006;90(3):262–267. doi: 10.1136/bjo.2005.081224. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. De Groef L, Van Hove I, Dekeyster E, Stalmans I, Moons L. MMPs in the trabecular meshwork: promising targets for future glaucoma therapies? Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54(12):7756–7763. doi: 10.1167/iovs.13-13088. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lütjen-Drecoll E. Morphological changes in glaucomatous eyes and the role of TGFbeta2 for the pathogenesis of the disease. Exp Eye Res. 2005;81(1):1–4. doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2005.02.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Weinreb RN, Aung T, Medeiros FA. The pathophysiology and treatment of glaucoma: a review. JAMA. 2014;311(18):1901–1911. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.3192. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brubaker RF. Flow of aqueous humor in humans [The Friedenwald Lecture] Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1991;32(13):3145–3166. - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances