bims-mideyd Biomed News
on Mitochondrial dysfunction in eye diseases
Issue of 2024‒02‒25
two papers selected by
Rajalekshmy “Raji” Shyam, Indiana University Bloomington



  1. Aging (Albany NY). 2024 Feb 21. 16
      PURPOSE: Among aging adults, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a prevalent cause of blindness. Nevertheless, its progression may be halted by antioxidation in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The primary effective constituent of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F., triptolide (TP), has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antioxidant properties. The mechanics of the protective effect of triptolide against the oxidative damage in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) were assessed in this study.METHODS: ARPE-19 cells were pretreated with TP, and then exposed to sodium iodate (SI). First, cell viability was assessed using CCK-8. Subsequently, we measured indicators for cell oxidation including reactive oxygen species (ROS), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Then, we used network pharmacological analysis and molecular docking to explore the signaling pathway of TP. Last, we used western blot, ELISA, and immunofluorescence assays to clarify the potential mechanistic pathways.
    RESULTS: The network pharmacology data suggested that TP may inhibit AMD by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Experimental results showed that the potential mechanism is that it regulates the PI3K/Akt pathway and promotes Nrf2 phosphorylation and activation, thereby raising the level of antioxidant factors (HO-1, NQO1) and reducing the generation of ROS, which inhibit oxidative damage.
    CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that the effect of TP on SI-exposed RPE cells principally relies on the regulation of oxidative stress through the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling pathway.
    Keywords:  PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 pathway; network pharmacological analysis; oxidative stress; triptolide
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.205570
  2. Stem Cells Transl Med. 2024 Feb 23. pii: szae004. [Epub ahead of print]
      Age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa are degenerative retinal diseases that cause severe vision loss. Early clinical trials involving transplantation of retinal pigment epithelial cells and/or photoreceptors as a treatment for these conditions are underway. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the field of retinal pigment epithelium transplantation, including some pertinent clinical trial results as well as preclinical studies that address issues of transplant immunology, cell delivery, and cell manufacturing.
    Keywords:  cell transplantation; embryonic stem cells; geographic atrophy; induced pluripotent stem cells; macular degeneration; retina; retinal pigment epithelium; retinitis pigmentosa
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/stcltm/szae004