Role of yerba mate (illex paraguayensis) and its polyphenols in retinal degenerative diseases

MARAZITA M.C; MARQUIONI RAMELLA M.D; TATE P.S; SUBURO A.M

Congreso; REUNIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE INVESTIGACIÓN CLÍNICA (SAIC); 2018

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive disease which leads to irreversible loss of vision. Premature cellular senescence of the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) is suggested to play a central role in the etiology of AMD. Polyphenols are postulated to protect against degenerative diseases development. Yerba mate is an important source of polyphenols in our country and two of its most abundant polyphenols are caffeic acid (CAF) and chlorogenic acid (CHL). The aim of this work is to study the role of yerba mate, CAF and CHL in the protection of oxidative stress-induced retinal degeneration.RPE cells (ARPE-19 cell line), were incubated with CAF (70μM) or CHL (100μM) for 2 hours and then exposed to H2O2 (150μM) for 90 minutes. Cells were collected at different time points following damage. BCL-2 expression and γH2AX phosphorylation were analyzed by Western blot. RNA abundance of ROS detoxifying genes NRF2 and SOD2, was evaluated by qPCR. Male C57BL6/J mice were treated with 40 mg/day of yerba mate by oral administration for 3 weeks and then injected with NaIO3 50 mg/kg. Two hours post injection mice were euthanatized and the RPE was isolated for western blot analysis. CAF and CHL increased BCL-2 expression (p < 0,05) at 4 and 24 h following treatment. Both polyphenols enhanced NRF2 and SOD2 RNAm levels at 2 and 4 h after exposure and decreased histone H2AX phosphorylation. Yerba mate consumption up-regulated BCL-2 expression in mice RPE cells (p