Study summary · research use only
Mitochondrial targeted therapy with elamipretide (MTP-131) as an adjunct to tumor necrosis factor inhibition for traumatic optic neuropathy in the acute setting
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
In this mouse study of sonication-induced traumatic optic neuropathy, researchers examined elamipretide (MTP-131), a mitochondrially-targeted tetrapeptide, alone and combined with the TNF inhibitor etanercept, for effects on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival after optic nerve trauma. Compared to PBS-treated control eyes, the abstract reports increased RGC survival rates with intravitreal MTP-131 combined with subcutaneous etanercept and MTP-131, with subcutaneous etanercept plus MTP-131 alone, with subcutaneous etanercept alone, and with subcutaneous MTP-131 alone. The authors note they did not observe a synergistic effect between the two drugs in the group receiving both etanercept and MTP-131, and suggest as a possible explanation that MTP-131 and etanercept may act on different parts of the same pathway.
Abstract
Traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) can occur following blunt trauma to the orbit and can lead to permanent vision loss. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of elamipretide (MTP-131), a small mitochondrially-targeted tetrapeptide, in conjunction with etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor, as neuroprotective agents of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) after optic nerve trauma with sonication-induced TON (SI-TON) in mice. Treatment with intravitreal MTP-131 and subcutaneous etanercept and MTP-131 showed a 21% increase (p < 0.01) in RGC survival rate compared to PBS-treated control eyes. Subcutaneous etanercept and MTP-131 had an 11% increase (p < 0.05) in RGC survival compared to controls. Subcutaneous etanercept only group showed 20% increase (p < 0.01) in RGC survival compared to controls, while subcutaneous MTP-131 alone showed a 17% increase (p < 0.01). Surprisingly, we did not observe a synergistic effect between the two drugs in the group receiving both etanercept and MTP-131. One possible explanation for the absence of a synergistic effect is that MTP-131 and etanercept may be acting on different portions of the same pathway.
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