scholarly journals Effects of E-Cigarette Refill Liquid Flavorings with and without Nicotine on Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells: A Preliminary Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11655
Author(s):  
Shilpi Goenka ◽  
Sanford R. Simon
Keyword(s):  
Retinal Pigment Epithelial ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Etiologic Factor ◽  
Cell Degeneration ◽  
Pigment Epithelial ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Preliminary Study

Smoking is an etiologic factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although cigarette smoke has been extensively researched for retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell degeneration, the potential for adverse effects on the retinal epithelium following exposure to flavored e-cigarette refill liquid has never been explored. In this preliminary study, we have examined the effects of 20 e-liquids (10 different flavored nicotine-free and 10 nicotine-rich e-liquids) used in e-cigarettes on the metabolic activity, membrane integrity, and mitochondrial membrane potential of RPE cells. Our results showed that of the flavors studied over the concentration range: 0.5, 1, and 2% v/v for a duration of 48 h, cinnamon was the most toxic and menthol was the second most toxic, while other flavors showed lesser or no cytotoxicity. The presence of nicotine augmented cytotoxicity for cinnamon, menthol, strawberry, vanilla, and banana while for other flavors there was no synergism. Together, our results demonstrate that exposure of RPE to flavored e-cigarette refill liquids caused significant cytotoxicity and may be a risk factor for the development of retinal pathogenesis, although further in-depth studies are necessary.

scholarly journals Effects of FTMT Expression by Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells on Features of Angiogenesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3635
Author(s):  
Undral Buyandelger ◽  
Douglas G. Walker ◽  
Daijiro Yanagisawa ◽  
Toshifumi Morimura ◽  
Ikuo Tooyama
Keyword(s):  
Proinflammatory Cytokines ◽  
Retinal Pigment Epithelial ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Angiogenic Factors ◽  
Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Pathological Feature ◽  
Cellular Models ◽  
Pigment Epithelial ◽  
Age Related

Aberrant angiogenesis is a pathological feature of a number of diseases and arises from the uncoordinated expression of angiogenic factors as response to different cellular stresses. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss, can result from pathological angiogenesis. As a mutation in the mitochondrial ferritin (FTMT) gene has been associated with AMD, its possible role in modulating angiogenic factors and angiogenesis was investigated. FTMT is an iron-sequestering protein primarily expressed in metabolically active cells and tissues with high oxygen demand, including retina. In this study, we utilized the human retinal pigment epithelial cell line ARPE-19, both as undifferentiated and differentiated cells. The effects of proinflammatory cytokines, FTMT knockdown, and transient and stable overexpression of FTMT were investigated on expression of pro-angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and anti-angiogenic pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF). Proinflammatory cytokines induced FTMT and VEGF expression, while NF-κB inhibition significantly reduced FTMT expression. VEGF protein and mRNA expression were significantly increased in FTMT-silenced ARPE-19 cells. Using an in vitro angiogenesis assay with endothelial cells, we showed that conditioned media from FTMT-overexpressing cells had significant antiangiogenic effects. Collectively, our findings indicate that increased levels of FTMT inhibit angiogenesis, possibly by reducing levels of VEGF and increasing PEDF expression. The cellular models developed can be used to investigate if increased FTMT may be protective in angiogenic diseases, such as AMD.

scholarly journals Protective effects of delphinidin against H2O2–induced oxidative injuries in human retinal pigment epithelial cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timin Ni ◽  
Wanju Yang ◽  
Yiqiao Xing
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Protein Expression ◽  
Retinal Pigment Epithelial ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Ros Generation ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Pigment Epithelial ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is now one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly population and oxidative stress-induced damage to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells occurs as part of the pathogenesis of AMD. In the present study, we evaluated the protective effect of delphinidin (2-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl) chromenylium-3,5,7-triol) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced toxicity in human ARPE-19 cells and its molecular mechanism. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and flow cytometry demonstrated that pretreatment of ARPE-19 cells with delphinidin (25, 50, and 100 μg/ml) significantly increased cell viability and reduced the apoptosis from H2O2 (0.5 mM)-induced oxidative stress in a concentration-dependent manner, which was achieved by the inhibition of Bax, cytochrome c, and caspase-3 protein expression and enhancement of Bcl-2 protein. The same tendency was observed in ARPE-19 cells pre-treated with 15 mM of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) before the addition of H2O2. Furthermore, pre-incubation of ARPE-19 cells with delphinidin markedly inhibited the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and Nox1 protein expression induced by H2O2. Moreover, the decreased antioxidant enzymes activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-PX) and elevated (MDA) level in H2O2-treated cells were reversed to the normal standard by the addition of delphinidin, which was regulated by increasing nuclear Nrf2 protein expression in ARPE-19 cells. Our results suggest that delphinidin effectively protects human ARPE-19 cells from H2O2-induced oxidative damage via anti-apoptotic and antioxidant effects.

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