Protector Role of Intraocular Lenses under Artificial Light Conditions.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this work was to analyze, in an in vitro model, the possible protective effects of ultraviolet- (UV-) or UV/blue-filtering intraocular lens (IOL) under light-emitting diode (LED) lighting conditions. METHODS: Ten models of IOLs were evaluated. Light transmission spectrum was recorded from 300 to 800 nm, in steps of 1 nm. Photodamage in vitro model was induced in ARPE-19 cells by blue LED light (465-475 nm). Changes in cell viability and oxidative stress variables were studied to assess the protective effect of IOLs. RESULTS: UV/blue-filtering IOLs models block blue light spectrum in different proportion and UV-filtering IOLs blocking wavelength below 400 nm. However, in vitro study under blue LED light exposure does not show protective effects related with mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress of UV/blue-filtering IOLs. CONCLUSIONS: The current in vitro study suggests that UV/blue filtering IOLs are not useful in terms of photoprotection in artificial light conditions. The results obtained indicate that it is needed to give attention to other IOL parameters besides the type of filter, as it seems they could have influence on the protective role.

Plasma Rich in Growth Factors Promotes Autophagy in ARPE19 Cells in Response to Oxidative Stress Induced by Blue Light.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes the degeneration of photoreceptors and retinal cells leading to vision loss in older subjects. Among possible exogenous risk factors, it has been recently proposed that long-term exposure to blue light could aggravate the course of AMD. In the search for therapeutic options, plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) has been shown to enhance cell antioxidant pathways and protect photoreceptors against the harm produced by blue light, although its mechanism of action remains unknown. One possible mechanism, autophagy, is one of the most conservative cell renewal systems used in eukaryotes to destroy cellular components that have been damaged by some kind of insult. The oxidative stress of exposure to blue light is known to induce cell autophagy. In this study, we examined the combined effects on autophagy of blue light and PRGF in a retinal cell line, ARPE19. In response to treatment with both PRGF and blue light, we detected the modulated expression of autophagy markers such as NF-kB, p62/sqstm1, Atg5, LC3 and Beclin1, and inflammatory markers such as IL1B and IL18. Our findings suggest that PRGF promotes cell autophagy in response to exposure to blue light.

Plasma Rich in Growth Factors Enhances Cell Survival after in Situ Retinal Degeneration.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGFs) under blue light conditions in an in vivo model of retinal degeneration. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were exposed to dark/blue light conditions for 9 days. On day 7, right eyes were injected with saline and left eyes with PRGF. Electroretinography (ERG) and intraocular pressure (IoP) measurements were performed before and after the experiment. After sacrifice, retinal samples were collected. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to analyze the structure of retinal sections. Immunofluorescence for brain-specific homeobox/POU domain protein 3A (Brn3a), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), rhodopsin, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was performed to study the retinal conditions. RESULTS: Retinal signaling measured by ERG was reduced by blue light and recovered with PRGF; however, IoP measurements did not show significant differences among treatments. Blue light reduced the expression for Brn3a, ChAT, and rhodopsin. Treatment with PRGF showed a recovery in their expressions. HO-1 and GFAP results showed that blue light increased their expression but the use of PRGF reduced the effect of light. CONCLUSIONS: Blue light causes retinal degeneration. PRGF mitigated the injury, restoring the functionality of these cells and maintaining the tissue integrity.

Plasma rich in growth factors reduces blue light-induced oxidative damage on retinal pigment epithelial cells and restores their homeostasis by modulating vascular endothelial growth factor and pigment epithelium-derived factor expression.

BACKGROUND: This study analysed the effectiveness of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) in reducing the oxidative stress induced by blue light exposition on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. METHODS: Blood from six healthy donors was collected to obtain the PRGF. Retinal pigment epithelium (ARPE-19) cells were exposed to blue light. Then, cells were incubated with PRGF or with control for 24 and 48 hours maintaining exposure to blue light. The cytoprotective effect of PRGF on ARPE cells was evaluated by measuring the cell viability, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the expression of different proteins such as heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD-1), apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). RESULTS: The cell viability increased significantly at 24 and 48 hours after PRGF treatment compared to the control group. ROS synthesis was significantly reduced in PRGF-treated cells with respect to control. Furthermore, the levels of HO-1, SOD-1 and AIF were significantly reduced after PRGF treatment at both times of treatment. However, CAT levels were only significantly reduced after PRGF treatment at 48 hours. The high expression of VEGF by RPE cells exposed to blue light was only counterbalanced in the PRGF group by increasing the expression of PEDF in comparison to the control group. CONCLUSION: The present results show that PRGF treatment reduces the cytotoxic effects induced in RPE cells exposed to an oxidative stress environment. Furthermore, PRGF treatment preserves the mitochondrial activity and cell viability of RPE cells subjected to an oxidative stress.

Antioxidant Role of PRGF on RPE Cells after Blue Light Insult as a Therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Oxidative stress has a strong impact on the development of retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) is a novel therapeutic approach in ophthalmological pathologies. The aim of this study was to analyze the antioxidant effect of PRGF in retinal epithelial cells (EPR) in in vitro and ex vivo retinal phototoxicity models. In vitro analyses were performed on ARPE19 human cell line. Viability and mitochondrial status were assessed in order to test the primary effects of PRGF. GSH level, and protein and gene expression of the main antioxidant pathway (Keap1, Nrf2, GCL, HO-1, and NQO1) were also studied. Ex vivo analyses were performed on rat RPE, and HO-1 and Nrf2 gene and protein expression were evaluated. The results show that PRGF reduces light insult by stimulating the cell response against oxidative damage and modulates the antioxidant pathway. We conclude that PRGF's protective effect could prove useful as a new therapy for treating neurodegenerative disorders such as AMD.

Hyaluronic Acid Combined with Serum Rich in Growth Factors in Corneal Epithelial Defects.

The aim of this study is to assess if an adhesive biopolymer, sodium hyaluronate (NaHA), has synergistic effects with s-PRGF (a serum derived from plasma rich in growth factors and a blood derivative that has already shown efficacy in corneal epithelial wound healing), to reduce time of healing or posology. In vitro proliferation and migration studies, both in human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells and in rabbit primary corneal epithelial (RPCE) cultures, were carried out. In addition, we performed studies of corneal wound healing in vivo in rabbits treated with s-PRGF, NaHA, or the combination of both. We performed immunohistochemistry techniques (CK3, CK15, Ki67, ß4 integrin, ZO-1, α-SMA) in rabbit corneas 7 and 30 days after a surgically induced epithelial defect. In vitro results show that the combination of NaHA and s-PRGF offers the worst proliferation rates in both HCE and RPCE cells. Addition of NaHA to s-PRGF diminishes the re-epithelializing capability of s-PRGF. In vivo, all treatments, given twice a day, showed equivalent efficacy in corneal epithelial healing. We conclude that the combined use of s-PRGF and HaNA as an adhesive biopolymer does not improve the efficacy of s-PRGF alone in the wound healing of corneal epithelial defects.

Blue light negatively affects the survival of ARPE19 cells through an action on their mitochondria and blunted by red light.

PURPOSE: To ascertain whether red light, known to enhance mitochondrial function, can blunt a blue light insult to ARPE19 cells in culture. METHODS: Semi-confluent ARPE19 cells cultured in 10% FBS were subjected to various regimes of treatment with blue (465-475 nm, 800 lux, 26 W/m2 ) and red (625-635 nm, 950 lux, 6.5 W/m2 ) light, as well as with toxins that inactivate specific enzymes associated with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Cultures were then analysed for cell viability (MTT assay), mitochondrial status (JC-1), ROS formation, immunocytochemistry and the activation of specific proteins by electrophoresis/Western blotting. In addition, ARPE19 cells were cultured in polycarbonate membrane inserts in culture medium containing 1% FBS. Such cultures were exposed to cycles of red, blue or a combination of red and blue light for up to 6 weeks. Culture medium was changed and the trans-epithelium membrane resistance (TER) of the inserts-containing cells was measured twice weekly. RESULTS: ARPE19 cells in culture are affected negatively when exposed to blue light. This is indicated by a loss of viability, a depolarization of their mitochondria and a stimulation of ROS. Moreover, blue light causes an up-regulation of HO-1 and phospho-p-38-MAPK and a cleavage of apoptosis inhibitory factor, proteins which are all known to be activated during cell death. All of these negative effects of blue light are significantly blunted by the red light administered after the blue light insult in each case. ARPE19 cell loss of viability and mitochondrial potential caused by toxins that inhibit specific mitochondrial enzyme complexes was additive to an insult delivered by blue light in each case. After a time, ARPE19 cells in culture express the tight junction protein ZO-1, which is affected by blue light. The development of tight junctions between ARPE19 cells grown in inserts reached a steady peak of resistance after about 40 days and then increased very slightly over the next 40 days when still in darkness. However, maximum resistance was significantly attenuated, when cultures were treated with cycles of blue light after the initial 40 days in the dark and counteracted significantly when the blue light cycle insult was combined with red light. CONCLUSION: Blue light affects mitochondrial function and also the development tight junctions between ARPE19 cells, which results in a loss of cell viability. Importantly, red light delivered after a blue light insult is significantly blunted. These findings argue for the therapeutic use of red light as a noninvasive procedure to attenuate insults caused by blue light and other insults to retinal pigment epithelial cell mitochondria that are likely to occur in age-related macular degeneration.