Table 2.
Summary of small molecule agents for the treatment of glaucoma
| Name | Target | Function | Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCH 58261 | A2AR | Prevention of microglia morphological alternations and ROS production | Ongini et al., 1999; Aires et al., 2019 |
| THC | Cannabinoid receptor CB1 | Protection of neuron cultures from glutamate-induced death | El-Remessy et al., 2003 |
| CBD | Cannabinoid receptor CB1 | Protection of neuron cultures from glutamate-induced death | El-Remessy et al., 2003 |
| Dock3 | ASK1 | Prevention of oxidative stress-induced RGC death | Bessero and Clarke, 2010 |
| GBE | Thenitricoxide | Protection of RGCs from apoptosis | Baillargeon and Sonnet, 2010; Ghiso et al., 2013; Saccà et al., 2019 |
| CNQX | KA receptors | Suppression of RGC death | Omodaka et al., 2014 |
| VPA | BDNF-TrkB | Reduction of oxidative levels in RGCs | Kimura et al., 2015 |
| CoQ10 | ATP | Prevention of RGC death | Davis et al., 2017; Quaranta et al., 2019 |
| Cyanin chloride | GLAST | Protection of retinal Müller cells | Chen et al., 2018b |
| Niacin | NAD/NADP | Higher niacin intake may be associated with a lower risk of developing glaucoma | Jung et al., 2018 |
| NAC | GSH | Prevention of RGC degeneration and visual impairment | Sano et al., 2019 |
| ONL1204 | Fas receptor | Abrogation of microglia activation and inhibition of the induction of multiple cytokines and chemokines | Krishnan et al., 2019 |
| AST | IκB | Inhibition of RGC degeneration | Kikuchi et al., 2020 |
| Citocline | NO2 | Protection of neural tissues and visual function | van der Merwe et al., 2021 |
| β-Estradiol | miR-320-3p | Inhibition of inflammation | Xu et al., 2021 |
| miR-93 | STAT3 | Downregulation of retinal microglia-mediated neuroinflammation | Wang et al., 2021 |
The table summarizes targets, functions, and literature linked to small molecule agents which may possess protective activity for RGCs and are considered potential therapeutic drugs for normal tension glaucoma. A2AR: Adenosine receptor 2A; ASK1: apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1; AST: astaxanthin; ATP: adenosine 5’ triphosphate; BDNF-TrkB: brain derived neurotrophic factor-tropomysin related kinase B; CBD: cannabidiol; CoQ10: coenzyme Q10; Dock3: dedicator of cytokines 3; GBE: Ginkgo biloba extract; GLAST: glutamate/aspartate transporter; GSH: glutathione; KA: kainic acid; NAC: N-acetylcysteine; NO2: nitrogen dioxide; ROS: reactive oxygen species; RGC: retinal ganglion cell; STAT3: signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; THC: delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol; VPA: valproic acid.