Retention of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins In Bruch's membrane (BrM) is believed to be important in early age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The origin of the lipoproteins in BrM is a hot topic in (AMD) research. Some studies hypothesize an intraocular origin. BrM is in direct contact to the choriocapillaris; a plasma origin has also been suggested for the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. We developed an animal model to study the biological effects of circulating LDL on the retina. After injection of LDL for 7 days, our results showed evidence of circulating apolipoprotein B100 retention in BrM and showed induction of early AMD-like alterations in the rat retina, such as thickening of BrM, photoreceptor TUNEL-positive cells, and inflammatory cell infiltration. In vitro assays showed that oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) treatment decreased ARPE-19 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner and that 10 mg/L ox-LDL induced marked apoptosis. The ratio of matrix metalloproteinase-2 to tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-3 was dysregulated after LDL and ox-LDL treatment in ARPE-19 cells, which can produce profound changes in the extracellular matrix, including thickening of and deposit formation in BrM. The observation that circulating LDL may be a significant, but not complete, origin of the lipoprotein in BrM suggests that these findings can be readily exploited for the development of new model systems and the future benefit of patients with AMD. (Ant J Pathol 2012, 180:541-549; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2011.10.015)

Objective To study the prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)in preterm infants in Taizhou and to analyse the risk factors for ROP.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 286 premature children from March 2008 to March 2011.Results In all the infants examined,36cases(72 eyes,12.6%)developed ROP,including 12 cases(24 eyes)suffering from stage 1,14 cases(28 eyes)from stage 2,4 cases(8 eyes)from stage 3,2 cases(4 eyes)from stage 4,1case(2 eyes) from aggressive posterior ROP and 3 cases(6 eyes) from stage 5.Clinical analysis indicated that prematurity,low birth weight,hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and placenta abruption were closely related to the occurrence of ROP.Conclusion Prematurity,low birth weight and the relative hypoxia are high risk factors for the occurrence of ROP.Early screening,early detection and early treatment are of great importance in preventing from blinding caused by ROP in preterm infants.

PURPOSE:Native and oxidized (OX) low-density lipoprotein (LDL) may contribute to the pathogenesis of age related macular degeneration (AMD). In this study, we investigated the effects of lipoproteins, including LDL and ox-LDL, on cell viability, apoptosis, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) expression in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.METHOD:ARPE-19 cells were incubated with 10-100 mg/ml n-LDL, ox-LDL for 24 hr. Cell viability was assessed using the Cell Titer 96 Aqueous One Solution cell proliferation assay. The apoptosis of RPE was measured with TUNEL. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the levels of VEGF and PEDF mRNA in RPE cells. The expression of VEGF and PEDF protein was measured by western blotting. To examine the role of MAPK signal transduction in LDL- and OX-LDL-induced VEGF and PEDF protein expression, ARPE-19 cells were pretreated with one of several MAPK inhibitors for 2 hr and then incubated with native LDL or OX-LDL for 24 hr. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the differences.RESULTS:OX-LDL treatment decreased ARPE-19 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, whereas native LDL had no effect. Incubation of ARPE-19 cells with 10 mg/mL OX-LDL induced marked apoptosis, compared with untreated control cells. OX-LDL also increased VEGF expression and decreased PEDF expression, whereas native LDL had no significant effect. The VEGF-to-PEDF ratio was elevated after OX-LDL treatment. OX-LDL-induced VEGF protein synthesis was partly abolished by inhibiting p38 and JNK, while inhibiting ERK did not show a significant effect.CONCLUSIONS:OX-LDL treatment induced cellular changes in ARPE-19 cells that appeared to reflect pathogenic events in neovascular AMD, providing potential insight into the roles of OX-LDL in human RPE cells and its potential role in the pathogenesis of AMD.

Objective:To observe the protective effects of pretreatment with drug serum of Huangban Granule on hypoxic injury of human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells. Methods: Different dosages of drug serum of Huangban Granule were prepared and the model of hypoxic injury of hRPE cells were established at different time. The hRPE cells were pretreated by drug serum and the cell activity and cell cycle were detected by MTT method and flow cytometer respectively after 24 hours. Results: The cell activity in drug serum groups was higher than that in control group and model group. The cell activity in high dosage drug serum group was higher than that in low dosage drug serum group but lower than that in normal group. The inhibitory rates of cell activity in drug serum groups were decreased significantly and the inhibitory rates of cell activity in high dosage drug serum group were lower than those in low dosage drug serum group. In addition the drug serum of Huangban Granule can promote RPE cells in the condition of hypoxia from G0/G1 phase to S phase and promote the proliferation of RPE cells. Conclusion: The pretreatment with drug serum of Huangban Granule has protective effects on hypoxic injury of hRPE cells.