Effects of Macuprev ® Supplementation in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Double-Blind Randomized Morpho-Functional Study Along 6 Months of Follow-Up

Background To evaluate the effects of Macuprev ® supplementation on macular function and structure in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) along 6 months of follow-up. Methods In this double-blind, monocentric, randomized, and prospective study, 30 patients with intermediate AMD were enrolled and randomly divided into two age-similar groups: 15 patients (AMD-M group; mean age 68.50 ± 8.79 years) received 6-month oral daily supplementation with Macuprev ® (Farmaplus Italia s.r.l., Italy, two tablets/day on an empty stomach, before meals; contained in total lutein 20 mg, zeaxanthin 4 mg, N -acetylcysteine 140 mg, bromelain 2500GDU 80 mg, vitamin D 3 800 IU, vitamin B 12 18 mg, alpha-lipoic acid 140 mg, rutin 157 mg, vitamin C 160 mg, zinc oxide 16 mg, Vaccinium myrtillus 36% anthocyanosides 90 mg, Ganoderma lucidum 600 mg) and 15 patients (AMD-P group; mean age 70.14 ± 9.87) received two tablets of placebo daily on an empty stomach, before meals. A total of 28 eyes, 14 from each AMD group, completed the study. Multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. Results At 6-month follow-up, AMD-M eyes showed a significant increase of mfERG response amplitude density (RAD) recorded from the central macular areas (ring 1, 0–2.5°; ring 2, 2.5–5°), whereas non-significant changes of retinal and choroidal SD-OCT parameters were found when values were compared to baseline. Non-significant correlations between functional and structural changes were found. In AMD-P eyes, non-significant differences for each mfERG and SD-OCT parameters were observed at 6 months. Conclusions In intermediate AMD, Macuprev ® supplementation increases the function of the macular pre-ganglionic elements, with no associated retinal and choroidal ultra-structural changes. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03919019. Funding Research for this study was financially supported by the Italian Ministry of Health and Fondazione Roma. Article processing charges were funded by Farmaplus Italia s.r.l., Italy.