The role of autophagy and potential therapeutic effect of autophagy regulation in cornea diseases

Autophagy is a metabolic process of lysosomal-mediated degradation of damaged proteins or aging organelles, which plays an important role in maintaining the stability of intracellular environment and achieving cell metabolism and circulation.Recent studies have shown that autophagy is closely related to the development of many ocular diseases, including cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.In keratopathy, including granular corneal dystrophy type 2 (GCD2), Fuchs corneal endothelium dystrophy (FECD), keratitis, keratoconus (KC), corneal injury and repair, dry eye and so on, autophagic disorder can affect corneal transparency, and even lead to blindness.Regulating autophagic activity may be one of the hotspots in the study of corneal disease.This article reviews the role of autophagy and the potential therapeutic effect of autophagy regulation in cornea diseases.