Tissue Cell. 2025 Sep 9;98:103133. doi: 10.1016/j.tice.2025.103133. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the antioxidant effects, influence on autophagy and mitophagy, and impact on cell viability of resveratrol, lutein, and crocetin in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative damage in ARPE-19 cells as an in vitro model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
METHODS: Oxidative damage was induced in ARPE-19 cells by exposure to 800 μM H₂O₂ for 1 h. Cell viability was assessed using the WST-1 assay. Subsequently, ARPE-19 cells were treated with lutein (5 and 10 μM), crocetin (10 and 20 μM), or resveratrol (100 μM), and the levels of oxidative damage biomarkers including malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and nitric oxide (NO) were quantified via spectrophotometry. The autophagy- and mitophagy-related markers, LC3B, PINK1, and PARKIN, were visualized using confocal microscopy, and LC3B and PARKIN were further evaluated by western blotting (WB).
RESULTS: Cell viability results were 100 % in the control group, decreased to 73.5 % and 69.1 % with 10 and 20 μM crocetin, 62.7 % and 59.3 % with 5 and 10 μM lutein, and 52.7 % with 100 μM resveratrol, respectively, while H₂O₂ exposure reduced viability to 0.04 %. Exposure to H₂O₂ (800 µM, 1 h) induced significant oxidative damage in ARPE-19 cells, as indicated by a reduction in GSH levels (p < 0.01) and an increase in MDA (p < 0.001) and NO (p < 0.001) compared to the control group, along with a notable decrease in WST-1 viability. Among the interventions, 10 µM crocetin significantly decreased MDA (p = 0.019) and NO (p = 0.05) levels compared to those in the damage group, although the 20 µM concentration also reduced these markers without achieving statistical significance. 5 µM Lutein significantly reduced NO levels compared to the damage group, whereas reductions in MDA at concentrations of 5-10 µM were not statistically significant. GSH levels exhibited a numerical, albeit non-significant, increase with 10 µM lutein (p = 0.09), and showed modest, non-significant increases with crocetin and resveratrol. The highest LC3B expression was observed in the 5 μM lutein group compared to control and other treatment groups, while PARKIN expression was significantly elevated in the 10 μM lutein, 20 μM crocetin, and 100 μM resveratrol groups, with 20 μM crocetin and resveratrol levels also exceeding lutein 5 μM.
CONCLUSIONS: 10 μM Crocetin demonstrated the strongest antioxidant protection, while 5 μM lutein primarily improved cell survival, likely through autophagy activation and 100 μM resveratrol also activated both autophagy and mitophagy. These results highlighted the complementary concentration-dependent mechanisms of natural antioxidants in protecting RPE cells from oxidative stress related to AMD.
PMID:40934544 | DOI:10.1016/j.tice.2025.103133
