Research and prospect of inhibitors of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway on the prevention and treatment of posterior capsule opacification

Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is the most common complication of extracapsular cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation in the long-term.After cataract surgery, the content of growth factor in aqueous humor increased, which induced excessive hyperplasia, migration and fibrosis of lens epithelial cells (LECs), resulting in posterior capsular opacity and decreased vision.PI3K/AKT/MTOR signaling pathway is an important pathway regulating cell growth, cell cycle, protein and ribosome synthesis, which plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of PCO.The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key site for regulating the protein expression in the downstream of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.The application of mTOR inhibitor to interfere with the signaling pathway and affect the biological function of LECs is expected to provide a new idea for the prevention and treatment of PCO.This paper described the research progress of the role of mTOR signaling pathway and mTOR inhibitors in the occurrence and development of PCO.