# Focus on Lactate and Lactylation Modification: The Potential Role in Ophthalmic Disease Treatment

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how lactylation, a new protein modification, may play a role in eye diseases and could lead to new treatments.

## Contribution

The paper systematically summarizes lactylation's role in various ophthalmic diseases and its potential as a therapeutic target.

## Key findings

- Lactylation is linked to eye diseases like myopia and retinopathy.
- Lactylation signaling pathways may serve as therapeutic targets for ocular conditions.
- The review highlights lactylation's unique role compared to other PTMs in ocular pathologies.

## Abstract

Lysine lactylation represents a novel post-translational modification (PTM) involved in cellular functions including glycolysis and macrophage polarisation. It differs in form and mechanism from other PTMs such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and SUMOylation. As a recently discovered modification, lactylation has been implicated in the progression of multiple diseases. Recent studies further indicate lactylation’s association with multiple ocular pathologies. This review systematically summarises and discusses lactylation’s involvement in prevalent eye diseases, including myopia, retinopathy, ocular melanoma, uveitis, and macular degeneration. We further collate emerging data suggesting lactylation signalling pathways may represent potential therapeutic targets for ocular pathologies. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview for holistic intervention strategies and multidimensional assessment across various ocular conditions, while offering valuable insights for future research and development from a lactylation perspective.