BMI Distinguished Seminar // Patricia Boya: Selective autophagy at the crossroads of neuroinflammation

Selective autophagy, including mitophagy and lysophagy, is essential for maintaining retinal health. We have demonstrated that mitophagy remains stable or increases with age, potentially as a compensatory mechanism to reduce mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation. Pharmacological induction of mitophagy, using urolithin A, alleviates age-associated neurological decline and improves visual function. To investigate the role of autophagy in acute retinal degeneration, we employed a mouse model of age dependent macular degerantion. We found that enhancing mitophagy and lysophagy using urolithin A,  mitigated retinal degeneration by clearing damaged organelles and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Our findings highlight the therapeutic potential of autophagy modulation for the treatment of retinal neurodegenerative diseases and pave the way for future clinical applications.