Abstract
Cells have intrinsic mechanisms for cleaning harmful oxidants represented mainly by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Despite the antioxidant defense, ROS can cause serious damage to the retina that with age leads to various eye diseases and even blindness. Among numerous cell sites of ROS generation, mitochondrial electron transport is of crucial importance. Recently, for the purpose of cleaning ROS in the mitochondrial matrix, powerful mitochondria- targeted antioxidant “SkQ1” has been invented. We studied SkQ1 effects upon tissues of rat posterior eye cup that consisted: retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) ? choroidal coat ? scleral coat. The eye cups were isolated from the eyes of adult albino rats and cultivated in rotary tissue culture system in the presence of 20 nM SkQ1 or without this compound. After 7 days - 1 month in vitro eye cup samples were studied by immunohistochemistry, routine histology, morphometry, and digital image analysis. We have found that under chosen, “in vitro like in vivo” conditions 20 nM SkQ1 effectively reduced cell death in RPE and choroid, protected RPE from disintegration caused by cell phenotypic transformation and withdrawal from the layer, suppressed transmigration of choroidal coat cells. In the ex vivo model we used degenerative processes were more pronounced in the eye cup center where SkQ1 effect was most vivid. All this give us hopes for effectiveness of SkQ1 treatment of retinal central part that is very susceptible to light-induced over-oxidation injury and mostly suffering in many age-related diseases, AMD, in particular.
Highlights
Cells possess an array of antioxidant mechanisms to clean harmful oxidants represented mainly by reactive oxygen species (ROS)
This is especially true for the retinal cells, mainly for photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which are highly susceptible to oxidative stress because of a very high rate of oxygen metabolism and concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in photoreceptor membranes
The cation designated SkQ1 appeared to be a powerful antioxidant in a number of in vitro and in vivo models [11,12,13,14]
Summary
Cells possess an array of antioxidant mechanisms to clean harmful oxidants represented mainly by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Despite of the protective role of natural antioxidants, ROS can cause a serious damage to cells This is especially true for the retinal cells, mainly for photoreceptor and RPE cells, which are highly susceptible to oxidative stress because of a very high rate of oxygen metabolism and concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in photoreceptor membranes. These features of retinal cells together with lifelong exposure to light are auspicious conditions for permanent production of ROS within the retina. ROS are accumulating during time (age) and because of this some of eye diseases are strongly age-related and develop in patients of elderly age sinking their life quality
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