Anti-aging effect pf yerba mate in retinal pigment epithelium

TATE PS; MARAZITA MC; MARQUIONI RAMELLA MD; SUBURO AM

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LXIV Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica (SAIC); 2019

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

The increase of persons older than 65 years is a global trend. Ageing of the population goes hand in hand with a greater prevalence Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a progressive retinal disease leading to irreversible loss of vision. Oxidative stress in the Retinal Pigmented Epithelium (RPE), a cell layer essential for photoreceptor survival, is a major AMD cause. RPE oxidative damage leads to premature cellular senescence and reduction of oxidative stress could have a preventive or therapeutic role in AMD. Polyphenols, powerful natural antioxidants, could protect against degenerative diseases. Yerba mate (YM) is an important source of polyphenols, since it has large amounts of caffeic (CAF) and chlorogenic (CHL) acids. The aim of this work is to verify the protective effects of YM, CAF and CHL on RPE cells damaged by oxidative stress in vitro. Methods: RPE cells (ARPE-19 cell line) were incubated for 2 hours with YM (125 µg/ml or 250 µg/ml), CAF (70 µM), CHL (100 µM) or appropriate controls. Premature cell senescence, induced by exposure to H2O2 (150 µM) for 90 minutes, was detected by β-galactosidase (β-GAL) activity. Cells were collected at different time points following damage. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and the phosphorylated histone H2AX (p-H2AX) were evaluated using fluorescence microscopy. CREB phosphorylation and SIRT1 expression were analyzed by Western blot and qPCR, respectively. Results: In cultures exposed to oxidative stress, YM promoted RPE cell survival and decreased β-GAL+ cells by 50% (p