Abstract:

Objective: To establish a photo-oxidative damage model of human retinal pigment epithelium (hRPE) cells for evaluating the protective effect of bilberry anthocyanin extract (BAE). Methods: Illumination intensity, exposure time and incubation time were selected as the factors to establish the model through evaluating cell variability and LDH activity. Meanwhile, the precaution group, stress group and repairing group were designed to administrate three different concentrations in each group. Cell viability and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression level were used to evaluate the preventive effect of BAE. Results: Illumination for 24 h at an intensity of 2500 lx and subsequent incubation time for 24 h were the optimal conditions for the model establishment. The damage rate of hPRE cells was up to 20%. No significant cell damage was observed for the precaution and the stress groups (P < 0.01), while the repairing group did not exhibit preventive effect. All the groups inhibited VEGF expression level in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: RPE cells can be damaged by visible light and the damage degree is correlated with illumination intensity and illumination duration. BAE can protect cells from light damage and inhibit VEGF level secreted from damaged cells. Therefore, people can intake bilberry to keep eye healthy and prevent the diseases of eyes.

Key words: human retinal pigment epithelium, bilberry anthocyanin extract, light damage, vascular endothelial growth factor