Beneficial properties of the nutritional bioactive resveratrol against lipofuscin compound A2E-induced toxicity in human retinal cells

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a late-onset retinal disease and the leading cause of central vision loss in the elderly. Degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) is a crucial contributing factor responsible for the onset and progression of AMD. The toxic fluorophore A2E, a major lipofuscin component, accumulates in RPE cells with age. Phytochemicals may have a potential role in both the prevention and treatment of this age-related ocular disease. In this sense, Resveratrol (RSV) is a naturally occurring antioxidant polyphenol; however, the underlying mechanism of it antioxidative effects in ocular diseases are poorly explored. We hypothesized that this bioactive may have beneficial effects for AMD. To investigate the potential profits of RSV against A2E-induced oxidative damage, we used human ARPE-19 cell line. RSV attenuates the cytotoxicity and the morphological characteristics of apoptosis observed in A2E-laden cells. RSV strengthened cell monolayer integrity through the preservation of the TEER and reduced the FITC-dextran diffusion rate. In addition, RSV exhorts protective effects against A2E-induced modifications in the intracellular redox balance. RSV also prevented A2E-induced mitochondrial network dismantling. These findings reinforce the idea that RSV represents an attractive bioactive for therapeutic intervention against ocular diseases associated with oxidative stress such as AMD.