AB044. Phototoxic stress induced in retinal pigmented epithelium cells by the synergy between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and blue light

Abstract

Background: Lesion to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a crucial event in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) development. Although the pathogenesis of this complex disease is poorly understood, sunlight exposure and smoking are major environmental risk factors associated with AMD. High-energy visible blue light (HEV; 400–500 nm) is the most energetic and potentially harmful solar wavelengths reaching adults retina. On the other hand, RPE cells can be exposed to a large range of pollutants from cigarette smoke, with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) being among the most toxic. Some PAH from cigarette smoke can absorb HEV light. This led us hypothesize that in RPE cells, the combination of PAH and HEV could synergize to exacerbate the stress caused by either factor alone. We thus investigate the combined effect of PAH and HEV light in RPE cells.