Development of a human RPE In vitro model with AMD-like features reveals blue light-induced modulation of the endocannabinoid system
Blue light (BL) is a known risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a retinal pathology where damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is one of the earliest events. While the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is implicated in various physio-pathological conditions of the retina, its role in BL-injured RPE has not yet been addressed. To fill this gap, we developed an in vitro model of BL-induced human RPE damage showing key features of AMD: cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, oxidative stress, inflammation, and cellular senescence. Notably, our model demonstrates modulation of gene and protein expression of specific ECS elements, particularly cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB<sub>1</sub> and CB<sub>2</sub>), thus providing unprecedented evidence of ECS dysregulation in RPE cells upon BL exposure.
Authors
- Annamaria Tisi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8592-2412)
- Camilla Di Meo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2045-3114)
- Simona Delle Monache (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8153-915X)
- Anna Rita Lizzi
- Fanny Pulcini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6841-0522)
- Marc Nazaré (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1602-2330)
- Benedetta Cinque (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4510-9416)
- Eric Hsu
- Mauro Maccarrone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3990-2963)
- Cinzia Rapino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9759-2449)
- Sakthimala Palaniappan
Institutions
- University of Teramo (IT)
- University of L'Aquila (IT)
- Leibniz Association (DE)
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (DE)
- Inimex Pharmaceuticals (Canada) (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
- Published
- 2025-04-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2025.151896
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.91