Abstract
Macular pigment (MP), which is composed of lutein/zeaxanthin/mezo-zeaxanthin, is concentrated in the central part of the retina, the macula. It protects the macula by absorbing short-wavelength light and suppressing oxidative stress. To evaluate whether MP levels are related to retinal neural protection and resulting health, we analyzed the association between the MP optical density (MPOD), and the macular thickness and volumes. Forty-three eyes of 43 healthy adult volunteers (21 men and 22 women; age: 22–48 (average 31.4 ± 1.1) years) were analyzed. Highly myopic eyes (<-6 diopters) were excluded. MPOD was measured using MPS2®, and the neural retinal thickness and volume were measured using optical coherence tomography. The mean MPOD was 0.589 ± 0.024, and it positively correlated with the central retinal thickness (P = 0.017, R = 0.360) and retinal volume of the fovea (1-mm diameter around the fovea; P = 0.029, R = 0.332), parafovea (1–3-mm diameter; P = 0.002, R = 0.458), and macula (6-mm diameter; P = 0.003, R = 0.447). In the macular area (diameter: 6 mm), MPOD was correlated with the retinal neural volume of the ganglion cell layer (P = 0.037, R = 0.320), inner plexiform layer (P = 0.029, R = 0.333), and outer nuclear layer (P = 0.020, R = 0.353). Thus, MPOD may help in estimating neural health. Further studies should determine the impact of MP levels on neuroprotection.
Highlights
Macular pigment (MP), which is composed of lutein (L)/zeaxanthin (Z)/mezo-zeaxanthin (MZ) [1,2], is concentrated in the central part of the retina, the macula
We found that MP optical density (MPOD) was positively correlated with the retinal neural volume of the fovea (P = 0.029, R = 0.332, 95% CI 0.036 to 0.575, Figure 2A), parafovea
We demonstrated that MPOD was positively correlated with central retinal thickness (CRT) and the retinal neural volumes of the fovea, parafovea, and macula
Summary
Macular pigment (MP), which is composed of lutein (L)/zeaxanthin (Z)/mezo-zeaxanthin (MZ) [1,2], is concentrated in the central part of the retina, the macula. In addition to animal experiments showing that lutein suppresses inflammatory mediators in the retina and reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) by scavenging them and inducing antioxidative enzymes [5,6,7,8,9,10], epidemiological analyses conducted in the Age-related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). Showed that dietary L/Z intake is inversely associated with the incidence of neovascular age-related. Nutrients 2020, 12, 888 macular degeneration (AMD), which can cause vision loss (odds ratio, 0.65); the incidence was lower in the high-carotenoid-intake (3.5 mg/day) group than in the low-carotenoid-intake (0.7 mg/day) group [11]. MPOD decreases with age, and MPOD of the fellow eye in AMD patients is lower than that of the fellow eye in individuals with no diseases other than cataracts [17,18]
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