Abstract
BackgroundBlue light is a high-energy or short-wavelength visible light, which induces retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) contain high amounts of polyphenols (anthocyanins, resveratrol, and proanthocyanidins) and thus confer health benefits. This study aimed to determine the protective effects and mechanism of action of bilberry extract (B-ext) and lingonberry extract (L-ext) and their active components against blue light-emitting diode (LED) light-induced retinal photoreceptor cell damage.MethodsCultured murine photoreceptor (661 W) cells were exposed to blue LED light following treatment with B-ext, L-ext, or their constituents (cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, trans-resveratrol, and procyanidin B2). 661 W cell viability was assessed using a tetrazolium salt (WST-8) assay and Hoechst 33342 nuclear staining, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was determined using CM-H2DCFDA after blue LED light exposure. Activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and LC3, an ubiquitin-like protein that is necessary for the formation of autophagosomes, were analyzed using Western blotting. Caspase-3/7 activation caused by blue LED light exposure in 661 W cells was determined using a caspase-3/7 assay kit.ResultsB-ext, L-ext, NAC, and their active components improved the viability of 661 W cells and inhibited the generation of intracellular ROS induced by blue LED light irradiation. Furthermore, B-ext and L-ext inhibited the activation of p38 MAPK and NF-κB induced by blue LED light exposure. Finally, B-ext, L-ext, and NAC inhibited caspase-3/7 activation and autophagy.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that B-ext and L-ext containing high amounts of polyphenols exert protective effects against blue LED light-induced retinal photoreceptor cell damage mainly through inhibition of ROS production and activation of pro-apoptotic proteins.
Highlights
Blue light is a high-energy or short-wavelength visible light, which induces retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa
We previously reported that bilberry extract (B-ext), lingonberry extract (L-ext), and their active components protected against retinal photoreceptor cell damage induced by ultraviolet A light exposure [19]
This study demonstrated that bilberry and lingonberry containing anthocyanidins, procyanidin, and resveratrol exert protective effects against blue light-emitting diode (LED) light-induced retinal photoreceptor cell damage by regulating the activation of Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), autophagy, and caspase-3/7 mainly through suppression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation
Summary
Blue light is a high-energy or short-wavelength visible light, which induces retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. This study aimed to determine the protective effects and mechanism of action of bilberry extract (B-ext) and lingonberry extract (L-ext) and their active components against blue light-emitting diode (LED) light-induced retinal photoreceptor cell damage. A previous report suggested that retinal damage is inversely proportional to wavelength (from 379 to 559 nm) of light in a rat in vivo model [3]. In another previous study using rhesus macaque, retinal dysfunction and damage induced by blue LED light were observed as residual infiltration in retinal pigment endothelial (RPE) cells and the photoreceptor outer segment [4]. Blue lightinduced retinal photoreceptor cell damage is mediated by caspase-3 [7] and rhodopsin in vivo, and the extent of its bleaching and its regeneration and visual transduction proteins determine the degree of damage [8]
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