8 replies to this topic

[Daniel Cooper]

Is anyone aware of anything that will upregulate lanosterol synthase expression?

 

I'm fighting an early onset cataract and decreased lanosterol production is implicated in these things.  I've been working on reducing my cholesterol numbers (I'm at 143 total, not using statins) and this seems to have started about the same time I created a ~40 point drop in cholesterol through diet and exercise.

 

I'd like to keep my plasma cholesterol where it is due to a predisposition to cardiovascular disease.  But, if I could shift some of that cholesterol towards lanosterol that might be useful.  Some topical means of upregulating lanosterol in the eye would probably be a grand idea too.  

 

I've started lanosterol, n-acetylcarnosine and visomitin, eye drops as well, but increasing endogenous lanosterol production in the eye would be most effective I think.

 

 

[FrankEd]

If you don´t mind would you please describe which lanosterol eye drops are you using?

[Daniel Cooper]

If you don´t mind would you please describe which lanosterol eye drops are you using?

 
 
Certainly - it's this:  LanoMax Lanosterol Eye Drops


Since the FDA hasn't approved lanosterol eye drops for humans, this is for pets. It's lanosterol which uses a cyclodextrin carrier to get around lanosterol's poor solubility.

Some people say it works for Spot and Fido, so maybe it works on humans as well. Who knows. Since lanosterol is endogenous to humans, particularly in the eye, and cyclodextrin is used in other eye drop formulations for humans, I'm not terribly concerned about it being harmful, except perhaps to my wallet.  Lanomax says that their drops are safe for humans, but they are not sold for human use.  
 
The evidence seems reasonably conclusive that if you can get lanosterol to the lens that it will very likely prevent and reverse cataracts, the issue has been actually getting it in there.  The lens capsule is a highly protected environment immunologically so it's not a slam dunk getting any substance in there.
 
Raising endogenous lanosterol levels in the eye would clearly be beneficial, hence the topic of this thread.
 
My goal is at a minimum to stave off the progression of these cataracts for 3 or 4 years till I can go to Canada and get these IOL implants:
 
Ocumetics Bionic Lens

 

Unfortunately at the rate it's currently progressing I'm not going to make it till those implants are approved and you can't go back and revise an existing implant with that IOL.

 

 

[FrankEd]

Thanks a lot Daniel, I have 10% cataract in both eyes and it´s very annoying. Unfortunately I can´t get Visomitin because it´s too hot in my country and I don´t know if

it will survive a trip from Russia.

 

Do you have some improvement with Visomitin?

[Daniel Cooper]

I've only been doing this regimen a little under 2 weeks now.  Too early to tell.

 

 

[nickdino]

Hi Daniel, would you please keep us informed about your experiences with these drops your taking?

I've tried visomitin for some months but it didnt reverse cataract formation..

[Daniel Cooper]

Been doing the Visomitin eye drops for about 5 months now.  It has significantly resolved my dry eye syndrome, but does not appear to have reversed my cataracts, based on the halos I see.

 

I'm going to try an oral squalene supplement as squalene is immediately upstream in the lanosterol synthesis chain.

 

The lanosterol eye drops did nothing btw and that is consistent with subsequent animal testing.  It does not appear to penetrate into the capsular bag well enough to be effective, which is why the original researchers injected it directly into the eye.  

 

I am confident that increasing endogenous lanosterol synthesis would be effective at arresting and perhaps reversing cataracts, the question is how to achieve that end.  Providing more of the precursors for lanosterol synthesis (i.e. squalene) seems like a good idea, as would upregulating lanosterol synthase production.  Still looking for how to accomplish the latter.  

 

BTW - I think my extreme diet restriction and supplement consumption which brought my cholesterol from ~189 down to ~130 might have been responsible for my sudden fairly early (52 yo) cataract formation.  Cholesterol is necessary for lanosterol synthesis and cataracts are a known side effect of statins.  I haven't taken statins but I have achieved a similar cholesterol reduction through other means and I think it may have caused similar complications.  

 

Just FYI.

 

If any of you have any ideas on the lanosterol synthase route please chime in.

 

 

[Rorororo]

I just read an interesting article:

https://blog.listent...loaters-vision/

It seems DMSO may hold some promise. What do you think?

[JamesPaul]

I purchased Visomitin but stopped taking it out of a concern that the concentration of benzalkonium chloride (BAK) that it contains might increase risk of ocular surface disease.  I posted my concern here:

 

https://www.longecit...ndpost&p=883915

 

I'm also very interested in learning of anything that could reverse or slow down development of cataracts.  Thanks for your thoughts on this subject.  I've read some of Dr. Kondrot's thoughts on the subject; I like what he says, but he doesn't seem to have reported many significant improvements in practice.

Edited by JamesPaul, 07 January 2020 - 04:34 AM.