Vitamin D alleviation of oxidative stress in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

BACKGROUND

Oxidative stress-induced retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell damage is a major factor in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Vitamin D (VD) is a powerful antioxidant and it has been suggested to have anti-aging properties and potential for treating AMD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of VD on RPE cell oxidative apoptosis of RPE cells in order to provide experimental evidence for the treatment of AMD.

METHODS

Human retinal pigment epithelial cell 19 (ARPE-19) cells were divided into four groups: blank group (untreated), model group (incubated in medium with 400 μmol/L HO for 1 h), VD group (incubated in medium with 100 μmol/L VD for 24 h), and treatment group (incubated in medium with 400 μmol/L HO for 1 h and 100 μmol/L VD for 24 h). Cell viability, cell senescence, ROS content, expression levels of vitamin D specific receptors, Akt, Sirt1, NAMPT, and JNK mRNA expression levels, SOD activity, and MDA, GSH, and GPX levels were measured.

RESULTS

We first established an ARPE-19 cell stress model with HO. Our control experiment showed that VD treatment had no significant effect on ARPE-19 cell viability within 6-48 h. Treating the stressed ARPE-19 cells with VD showed mixed results; caspase-3 expression was decreased, Bcl-2 expression was increased, MDA level of ARPE-19 cells was decreased, GSH-PX, GPX and SOD levels were increased, the relative mRNA expression levels of Akt, Sirt1, NAMPT were increased (P < 0.05), and the relative mRNA expression level of JNK was decreased (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

VD can potentially slow the development of AMD.