| Grant number: | 15/24760-0 |
| Support type: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct) |
| Effective date (Start): | March 01, 2016 |
| Effective date (End): | May 31, 2021 |
| Field of knowledge: | Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry |
| Principal Investigator: | Erick Leite Bastos |
| Grantee: | Caroline de Oliveira Machado |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated scholarship(s): | 19/03134-4 - Photoprotection of retina cells using liposome-encapsulated plant pigments, BE.EP.DD |
Abstract Macular degeneration compromises visual sharpness and color perception and may cause irreversible loss of vision. There is no cure for macular degeneration, but there are treatment strategies to retard its progression, including dietary supplementation with antioxidant formulas containing lutein and zeaxanthin. These xanthophylls are a class of carotenoids found both in macula, the central region of the retina, and in plants. In both locations, the partial absorption of incident light (mainly blue and ultraviolet) by these carotenoids prevents photoinduced oxidative damage. As well as carotenoids, anthocyanins and betalains are efficient natural antioxidants. Interestingly, although carotenoids have been found in plants pigmented by either anthocyanins or betalains, the latter two classes are mutually exclusive in nature. The goal of this project is to determine whether pure anthocyanins, betalains and xanthophylls and their mixtures prevent the death of retinal cells subjected to photoinduced oxidative stress. Plant pigments used in this study will be extracted from flowers, fruits or roots and purified. Solutions and O/W emulsions containing pure pigments or their mixtures will be prepared using commercial eyedrop formulations as solvents and submitted to photophysical characterization. The antiradical capacity of these formulations as well as the effect of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species will be determined in vitro. Next, the viability of ARPE-19 retinal cells submitted to photoinduced oxidative stress will be determined over time in the presence and absence of formulations containing pure pigments and their mixtures. (AU) | |