Ophthalmic degenerative diseases, such as glaucoma, have become a major focus of research, and many studies are trying to identify potential neuroprotective agents. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) has been used in multiple animal models to induce retinal damage and simulate retinopathies, but a nonhuman primate model has not been described yet. A study in Disease Models & Mechanisms characterizes a macaque model of NMDA-induced retinal damage. In this study, saline or NMDA was injected into the eyes of monkeys. The NMDA-injected monkeys initially exhibited thickening of the circum-papillary inner retinal layers during the first four days, followed by retinal thinning. NMDA also caused damage to retinal ganglion cells, a process associated with glaucoma. This macaque model of ophthalmic degeneration mirrors the structural and phenotypic features seen in humans, making it a valuable tool for drug research and the development of future therapies.

Original reference: Liu, G. et al. Dis. Model Mech. 17, dmm050033 (2024)

青光眼等眼科退行性疾病已成为研究的主要重点，许多研究正试图确定潜在的神经保护剂。N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸 （NMDA） 已用于多种动物模型，以诱导视网膜损伤和模拟视网膜病变，但尚未描述非人灵长类动物模型。疾病模型与机制中的一项研究描述了NMDA诱导的视网膜损伤的猕猴模型。在这项研究中，盐水或 NMDA 被注射到猴子的眼睛中。注射 NMDA 的猴子最初在前 4 天表现出眼睑外内视网膜层增厚，随后是视网膜变薄。NMDA 还对视网膜神经节细胞造成损害，这是一个与青光眼相关的过程。这种眼科变性的猕猴模型反映了在人类中看到的结构和表型特征，使其成为药物研究和未来疗法开发的宝贵工具。

原始参考资料：Liu， G. et al. Dis. 模型机甲。17、DMM050033 （2024）