CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive retinal disease and is the leading cause of visual impairment in elderly people in western countries, for which there is still no cure. Genetics, environmental insults, and age-related issues are risk factors for the development of the disease, and, all these risk factors are linked to oxidative stress induction. In addition, degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) is a crucial causative factor responsible for the onset and progression of AMD. With the population aging, AMD will gradually become in a globally prevalent disease. The decline in the quality of life among affected patients highlights a critical need for developing preventive strategies. In this sense, phytochemicals with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may have a potential role in the prevention and treatment of this ocular disease. Particularly, there is anincreased interest in the therapeutic effects of Resveratrol (RSV). RSV (3, 5, 4?-trihydroxy-stilbene) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound from the stilbenes family, mainly found in black grape and peanuts. Previous studieshave demonstrated the various beneficial effects of RSV on human health, including its neuroprotection, anti- inflammatory action, potent antioxidant activity and antiaging effects. Our research line is focused in investigating the protective effectiveness of RSV in an in vitro model of AMD. In addition, we designed and developed argentinean chitosan-based nanocarriers for RSV encapsulation to overcome physicochemical and pharmacokinetic limitationssuch as poor oral bioavailability, low water solubility and photosensibility. To date, our findings denote that RSV represents an attractive natural bioactive for therapeutic intervention against aging diseases associated with oxidative stress such as AMD.