Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous retinal degenerative hereditary diseases that cause severe vision impairment and often blindness.They are characterized by dysfunction and loss of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and photoreceptor cells.Sodium iodate (NaIO₃) is an antimetabolite known to selectively damage RPE.The RP induced by NaIO₃ resemble patchy loss of RPE in human RP, and has been frequently used to establish a RP model.The RP models induced by NaIO₃ can be established in a variety of experimental animals.Among those models, the RP model induced by one injection of NaIO₃ is most commonly used.The NaIO₃-induced RP animal models can be manipulated in terms of onset age and disease progression.Moreover, RPE cells in some animals have a self-regenerative potential under specific conditions.Therefore, this model is relevant in the study of RP pathogenesis, drug or stem/progenitor cell therapy and regenerative medicine.There have been many reports on researches and application of NaIO₃-induced RP models, we summarized recent progress in this model.

Retinitis pigmentosa; Sodium iodate; Disease models, animal