PCSK7, a potential target for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration: inhibition of retinal epithelial cell death.

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex disease with a pathophysiology that remains incompletely understood. PCSK7 is closely related to the normal development of ocular tissues; however, the roles and mechanisms of PCSK7 in AMD have yet to be elucidated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the specific manifestations of PCSK7 in AMD. An AMD cell model was established by using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-treated ARPE-19 cells. The efficiency of PCSK7 overexpression was analyzed by western blotting (WB) and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). Subsequently, a Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay was employed to assess the proliferation of ARPE-19 cells, while flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were utilized to examine apoptosis. Iron accumulation and glutathione (GSH) levels in cells were measured using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and WB was conducted to evaluate the expression of anti-ferroptosis protein. Finally, JC-1 staining was performed to assess mitochondrial membrane potential. Overexpressing of PCSK7 enhanced the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of ARPE-19 cells treated with H2O2. Additionally, increased PCSK7 expression suppressed intracellular iron levels and GSH content, thereby inhibiting the ferroptosis process. Furthermore, overexpression of PCSK7 restored mitochondrial membrane potential, alleviating H2O2-induced mitochondrial damage. PCSK7 might be one of the targets for the treatment of AMD through the regulation of retinal epithelial cell death.