Regulation of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in human retinal pigment epithelial cells
Authors: Harju Niina 
Published: November 2022

Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease, which causes impaired vision that can lead to blindness. The incidence of AMD increases with age. Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells maintain retinal homeostasis and support the functionality of photoreceptors. In the pathogenesis of AMD, the degeneration of the RPE cells precedes photoreceptor cell death. RPE cells are susceptible to oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation involving nucleotide‐binding domain, leucine‐rich repeat and pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and impaired autophagy are challenges faced by aged RPE cells in AMD. There are two types of AMD, dry (85–90%) and wet (10–15%) disease forms. Choroidal neovascularization is typical for wet AMD, and anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor (anti‐VEGF) injections are used to prevent the progression of the disease but there is no curative treatment. There is no cure for the dry disease form, but antioxidants have been proposed as a potential treatment option.

Ageing is the most important risk factor of AMD, and tobacco smoke is the most important environmental risk factor that can be controlled. Hydroquinone is a cytotoxic, immunotoxic, carcinogenic and pro‐oxidative component of tobacco smoke. The aim of this PhD thesis was to study hydroquinone‐induced oxidative stress and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in human RPE cells (ARPE‐19 cells). An age‐related eye disease study (AREDS) formulation (incl. omega‐3 fatty acids, vitamin C and E, copper, zinc, lutein and zeaxanthin), which is clinically investigated p.o. dosing combination of dietary supplements for AMD patients, has been evaluated as a possible treatment and restraining option for AMD. Resvega (4.1.1, Table 2) is a similar kind of product to AREDS with added resveratrol, and many of the components incorporated within Resvega can be considered as belonging to the normal antioxidative defence system of the retina. Another aim was to evaluate the effects of Resvega on hydroquinone‐induced oxidative stress or NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by impaired protein clearance.

The results of this study reveal that hydroquinone elevated the activity of NADPH oxidase which subsequently mediated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and predisposed RPE cells to degeneration by reducing levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelium‐derived factor (PEDF). Hydroquinone induced an NLRP3‐independent IL‐18 release and NLRP3 accumulation inside the IL‐1α‐primed cells. Resvega treatment reduced the extent of hydroquinone‐induced ROS production and NLRP3 inflammasome activation evoked by impaired protein clearance. Thus, Resvega alleviated hydroquinone‐ and impaired protein clearance‐induced stress in human RPE cells, but more studies are needed, for example, to reveal the most optimal route of administration for targeting the cells in the retina, since both oxidative stress and NLRP3 inflammasome activation are important contributors to the development of AMD and represent significant treatment targets.