🔍 Scientists Trigger Photosynthesis Inside Mouse Eyes

In dry eye syndrome, reactive oxygen species accumulate on the corneal surface, leading to severe inflammation and dry eyes. Normally, the body neutralizes them with antioxidants powered by NADPH. In chronic cases, NADPH is depleted.

✅ Researchers from Singapore and China found an unexpected solution: they transplanted plant-cell components into mouse eyes, extracting thylakoids—structures inside spinach chloroplasts that produce NADPH when exposed to light.

The thylakoids were packaged into nanoparticles about 400 nanometers wide and delivered as eye drops. This wasn't gene therapy—the cells' DNA was not modified. Instead, the researchers delivered a ready-made "mini factory" directly into the eye. Corneal cells absorbed the particles, and under normal indoor lighting, a limited form of photosynthesis began inside the cells.

🤖 In mice, the drops restored the cornea to near-normal condition within five days—outperforming existing treatments. In lab tests using tear samples from people with dry eye syndrome, the treatment increased NADPH levels 20-fold and reduced hydrogen peroxide levels by more than 95%.

The researchers are now preparing for human clinical trials. The treatment is expected to be inexpensive: according to their estimates, a handful of spinach would be enough to produce a month's supply of eye drops for around 50 people.

@hiaimediaen