Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Stress in Retinal Neurodegeneration

Dear Colleagues,

Retinal degeneration is a complex, multifactorial process driven by the interplay of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, which together promote progressive neuronal loss. The retina is uniquely vulnerable due to its high metabolic demand, continuous exposure to light, and dependence on efficient mitochondrial function. Under pathological conditions, excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) damages mitochondria, impairing energy metabolism, disturbing calcium homeostasis, and activating cell death pathways that ultimately compromise retinal survival.

Simultaneously, glial activation, particularly of Müller cells, microglia, and astrocytes, triggers a sustained inflammatory cascade that feeds forward to amplify oxidative stress and exacerbate neuronal dysfunction. This reciprocal relationship between redox imbalance and inflammation drives degeneration across multiple retinal cell types, including photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells.

Unravelling the molecular crosstalk between oxidative and inflammatory pathways is now a critical priority for identifying transformative neuroprotective strategies. Therapeutic approaches are rapidly evolving and may involve antioxidant treatments, mitochondrial-targeted interventions, or the modulation of glial reactivity to restore retinal homeostasis and vision. Breakthroughs in this field hold the promise of delivering impactful, disease-modifying interventions to halt or even reverse vision loss in retinal degenerative diseases.

Dr. Hanhan Liu
Dr. Imre Lengyel
Dr. Pietro Bertelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.