High-fat diet (HFD) is known to lead to metabolic dysfunction, which could influence retinal homeostasis and exacerbate retinal degenerative diseases.

To assess how HFD influences retinal degeneration, the researchers. examined the effects of 2–3 weeks of HFD feeding on the retinas of rd10 mice, a model of retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

The authors found that compared with rd10 mice fed a regular chow diet, rd10 mice that experienced a short-term increase in dietary fat intake showed increased photoreceptor degeneration in the retina, reduced retinal responsiveness and photoreceptor cell number, deterioration of photoreceptor morphology and connectivity, and impaired visual acuity.

The HFD feeding aggravated retinal inflammation and oxidative stress and increased expression of inflammatory and oxidative markers in rd10 retinas. HFD feeding also resulted in gut microbiome dysbiosis, altered the diversity of gut bacteria, and increased the abundance of potentially proinflammatory bacteria.

According to the authors, short-term HFD promotes retinal oxidative stress and inflammation as well as gut microbiome dysbiosis and could accelerate retinal degeneration in RP. 

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/43/e2100566118