The study, partly funded by the supplement maker, found a combination of oral treatment with DHA and citicoline significantly improved visual capacity and rate of progression in patients with glaucoma after three months of treatment.
NI Award Judges praised the research for highlighting an area of health that has not been widely investigated. They also noted the robust methodology featuring a randomized control trial with a strong sample, as well as the impressive outcome.
“We are so happy to receive this honor,” said BrudyLab’s medical director Leia Garrotte, following the awards ceremony in Geneva on May 15. “It was our first time at this contest, and the organization was absolutely amazing. Our team is thrilled with the opportunity to share this award and the good results of the study.”
Antioxidant properties
Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy that affects 57.5 million people around the world. It is the second-leading cause of blindness after cataracts. This blindness is usually irreversible.
The study authors noted that many patients with glaucoma are recommended to take nutraceuticals containing vitamins, citicoline or ginkgo biloba, among others, in clinical practice.
Citicoline is an indispensable intermediary in the synthesis of cell membrane phospholipids and a potential neuroprotectant or neuromodulator. In some countries it is used to facilitate recovery from stroke lesions or to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Meanwhile, DHA is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with widely-demonstrated antioxidant properties.
Study details
The prospective, randomized and single-blind study aimed to evaluate the effect of citicoline, vitamin C and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in patients with glaucoma.
The researchers randomly assigned 73 patients with glaucoma into one of four groups and treated them for three months with vitamin C, DHA, citicoline or a combination of DHA and citicoline.
All patients had a monthly complete ophthalmic examination to analyze different visual parameters over time. Researchers assessed and compared changes in the visual fields in each group.
The combination of oral treatment with DHA and citicoline significantly improved visual capacity and rate of progression in patients with glaucoma after three months.
“Only the combination of oral treatment with our DHA (Tridocosahexanoina-AOX) along with citicoline significantly enhanced visual capacity and decelerated disease progression in glaucoma patients after three months’ intervention,” Garrotte said.
The study demonstrates that the combination of DHA and citicoline can improve visual function in these patients, despite loss of vision being typically irreversible in this group.
BrudyLab maintains that the study shows enough potential for the combination to become a top-seller for glaucoma patients. There’s also room to explore the synergistic antioxidant neuromodulatory effect. The authors speculate that both compounds boost each other to facilitate rapid turnover of cell membrane structural components. This is a potential application related to different neurological pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Disease.
"This project proves that nutraceuticals have a strong potential to help glaucoma patients,” Garrotte said. “Science is the pillar of our business in BrudyLab. We are proud of our main goal, generation of clinical evidence, with high standards to boost the nutrition industry.”
Source: Life
doi: 10.3390/life12101481
“The Effect of Oral Citicoline and Docosahexaenoic Acid on the Visual Field of Patients with Glaucoma: A Randomized Trial.”Authors: Anton et al.