I’m curious whether the retinal blood barrier could act as a proxy measure for the blood brain barrier.
And thus the rapamycin impact on retinal health/function might act as a proxy for brain impact?
I ask because i personally have very detailed 6 monthly ophthalmology data due to a risk of early onset glaucoma. And so it will be interesting to see if my rapa protocol makes any measurable impact when I’m next tested.
Curious if anyone has any thoughts. On rapa and the retina
Review the following below, posted on another thread about 1 week ago
Thank you. I had a good and I think it referred to injections only. Do you know of any topical (eye drops) or oral treatment studies for eye health with rapamycin?
Just had look and this looks great: The topical ocular delivery of rapamycin to posterior eye tissues and the suppression of retinal inflammatory disease - ScienceDirect
Fascinating… I’d not heard of this research:
In this work, we have formulated a model compound, rapamycin(RAP), in nanoparticle-based eye drops and evaluated the delivery of RAP to the posterior eye tissues in a healthy rabbit.
The topical application of the MET-RAP eye drops to the EAU mouse model resulted in significant disease suppression compared to controls, with activity similar to dexamethasone eye drops. The MET-RAP eye drops also resulted in a reduction of RORγt and an increase in both Foxp3 expression and IL-10 secretion, indicating a mechanism involving the inhibition of Th17 cells and the up-regulation of T-reg cells. The MET-RAP formulation delivers RAP to the posterior eye segments, and the formulation is active in EAU.
Please let us know if you decide to experiment with rapamycin eye drops. Many of us are already using DIY rapamycin toothpaste: DIY Rapamycin Toothpaste and Flossing Paste and rapamycin skin cream: DIY Rapamycin skin cream
More information on Rapamycin and Eyes:
Yes I will. My initial interest though is whether systemic rapa (from oral) has any impact
I found one study (retrospective and only n=5) which suggests oral sirolimus (and everolimus) have an impact beyond the retinal blood barrier.
But i can only access the abstract on my phone, so I’m not sure what the dosing was.
I’ll admit to experimentation with homemade rapa eyedrops. I can’t say it has had a noticeable effect, but it’s only been a few months. My motivation is to reduce the rate of development in a cataract. I’ve had no ill effects. I use 1 mg powdered rapa + 1 drop transcutol per 4 single-use containers/vials. Then I use 1 drop once or twice a day.
I know so little about Glaucoma but I have to wonder if Insulin Resistance plays some role in it? If so, lower your carb intake etc.
Yes insulin resistance is a risk factor for intra ocular pressure (iop)
My iop is well controlled but i have a familial risk and so monitor it regularly. But it will be interesting to see if rapa has any impact on both iop and function.
I’ll be able to report data in a couple of months
Are your catarcts being monitored?
EnrQay, Can you give more detail on how you prepare your mixture? Thanks.
My IOP IS DOWN BY 4 points… I have always had borderline 18-19. Been in the Pearl study almost 9 months and my pressures just measured 14-15
That’s great news. What’s your dosing schedule?
Does it do anything for presbyopia?
I am in a clinical study call pearl. So I’m either taking 5 mg, 10 mg or placebo once a week. Pretty sure I am in one of the actual cohorts because I immediately had mouth sores.
I’ll probably have my semi-regular eye checkup next spring, and report back then.
Everything very clean, of course. Just grind the 1mg rapa, filter out the papery covering of the pill with a tea strainer (repeatedly to get it all, or else you get some annoying graininess), empty the four Refresh brand vials, add a drop of transcutol, thoroughly stir, suck the liquid back into the vials, and refrigerate at all times and use promptly (out of concern for possible bacterial growth, which has never been a problem for me). Shake the vial to mix before using 1-4 times/day. I haven’t had any problems, but no definite improvements either. Who knows if it is slowing down the normal cataract progression or helping keep my retinas healthy?
Just curious- have you been back to your ophthalmologist, and if so, how is your eye pressure and optic nerves since being on Rapamycin?
From what I have read, age is the biggest risk factor for glaucoma, even trumping elevated intraocular pressure and sever myopia. It may be a leap of logic, but it would seem that your approach of reducing your biological age in all tissues, including the eyes, would potentially mitigate your risk of developing glaucoma.
best wishes on your journey. Please keep us posted.