Abstract

Of the 57 cytochrome P450 enzymes found in humans, at least 30 have ocular tissues as an expression site. Yet, knowledge of the roles of these P450s in the eye is limited, in part, because only very few P450 laboratories expanded their research interests to studies of the eye. Hence the goal of this review is to bring attention of the P450 community to the eye and encourage more ocular studies. This review is also intended to be educational for eye researchers and encourage their collaborations with P450 experts. The review will start with a description of the eye, a fascinating sensory organ, and will be followed by the sections on ocular P450 localizations, specifics of drug delivery to the eye, and individual P450s, which will be grouped and presented based on their substrate preferences. In sections describing individual P450s, available eye-relevant information will be summarized and concluded by the suggestions on the opportunities in ocular studies of the discussed enzymes. Potential challenges will be addressed as well. The conclusion section will outline several practical suggestions on how to initiate eye-related research.

Significance Statement This review focuses on the cytochrome P450 enzymes in the eye to encourage their ocular investigations and collaborations between P450 and eye researchers.