Plant-derived phytochemicals in the prevention and management of ocular disorders: Mechanisms, evidence, and emerging perspectives
TL;DR
This review systematically examines the mechanistic basis of phytochemical ocular protection, appraises disease-specific evidence across the major blinding conditions, and delineates the critical challenges and future directions required to elevate these compounds from adjunctive supplements to evidence-based therapeutic agents.
Abstract
Ocular disorders including cataracts, glaucoma, Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy collectively constitute one of the most consequential public health burdens worldwide, with their prevalence escalating in tandem with global demographic aging and lifestyle transitions. A convergent triad of oxidative stress, chronic low-grade inflammation, and metabolic dysregulation underpins the pathogenesis of these conditions, rendering them amenable to multi-target preventive strategies. Plant-derived phytochemicals particularly polyphenols, carotenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids have attracted substantial scientific interest owing to their pleiotropic bioactivities, which encompass free radical scavenging, modulation of inflammatory transcription factors, anti-apoptotic signaling, inhibition of pathological angiogenesis, and neuroprotection. Lutein and zeaxanthin selectively concentratewithinthemacularregion, attenuatingphoto-oxidativeinjury; curcuminandquercetinsuppressNF-(cid:20) Bdriveninflammatorycascades; resveratrol modulatesSIRT1andmitochondrialhomeostasis; andGinkgobilobaextractsenhanceopticnerveperfusion. Despitecompellingpreclinicalevidence,clinical translation remains constrained by poor bioavailability, lack of extract standardization, sparse large-scale trial data, and incompletely characterized herb–drug interactions. This review systematically examines the mechanistic basis of phytochemical ocular protection, appraises disease-specific evidence across the major blinding conditions, and delineates the critical challenges and future directions including nanoformulation strategies, precision nutrition approaches, and pharmacodynamic synergy required to elevate these compounds from adjunctive supplements to evidence-based therapeutic agents.