Nitroxide small molecule agents are in development as preventative or therapeutic
pharmaceutical drugs for
age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and
cardiovascular disease, which are two major diseases of aging. These aging diseases are associated with patient genetics, smoking, diet, oxidative stress, and chronic
inflammation.
Nitroxide drugs preventing aging-, smoking-, high
sugar or high fat diet-, or radiation- and other environmental-induced pathophysiological conditions in aging disease are reviewed.
Tempol (TP),
Tempol Hydroxylamine (TP-H), and TP-H
prodrug (OT-551) are evaluated in (1) non-smokers versus smokers with cutaneous microvascular dysfunction, rapidly reversed by cutaneous TP; (2) elderly
cancer patients at risk for radiation-induced skin
burns or
hair loss, prevented by topical TP; and (3) elderly smoker or non-smoker AMD patients at risk for vision loss, prevented by daily
eye drops of
OT-551. The human data indicates safety and efficacy for these
nitroxide drugs. Both TP and TP-H topically penetrate and function in skin or mucosa, protecting and treating radiation
burns and
hair loss or smoking-induced cutaneous vascular dysfunction. TP and TP-H do not penetrate the cornea, while
OT-551 does effectively penetrate and travels to the back of the eye, preserving visual acuity and preserving normal and low light luminance in dry AMD smokers and non-smoker patients. Topical, oral, or
injectable drug formulations are discussed.