Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2010, 11(5), 2109-2117; doi:10.3390/ijms11052109
Article

Lutein Protects RGC-5 Cells Against Hypoxia and Oxidative Stress

Suk-Yee Li 1 email and Amy C. Y. Lo 1,2,* email
1 Eye Institute, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 2 Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 28 March 2010; in revised form: 13 April 2010 / Accepted: 3 May 2010 / Published: 11 May 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuroprotective Strategies)
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [772 KB, uploaded 11 May 2010 11:47 CEST]
Abstract: Retinal ischemia and oxidative stress lead to neuronal death in many ocular pathologies. Recently, we found that lutein, an oxy-carotenoid, protected the inner retina from ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, it is uncertain whether lutein directly protects retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Here, an in vitro model of hypoxia and oxidative stress was used to further investigate the neuroprotective role of lutein in RGCs. Cobalt chloride (CoCl2)and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were added to a transformed RGC cell line, RGC-5, to induce chemical hypoxia and oxidative stress, respectively. Either lutein or vehicle was added to cultured cells. A higher cell count was observed in the lutein-treated cells compared with the vehicle-treated cells. Our data from this in vitro model revealed that lutein might protect RGC-5 cells from damage when exposed to either CoCl2-induced chemical hypoxia or H2O2-induced oxidative stress. These results suggest that lutein may play a role as a neuroprotectant.
Keywords: antioxidants; carotenoids; cobalt chloride; hydrogen peroxide; ischemia; RGC-5

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Li, S.-Y.; Lo, A.C.Y. Lutein Protects RGC-5 Cells Against Hypoxia and Oxidative Stress. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2010, 11, 2109-2117.

AMA Style

Li S-Y, Lo ACY. Lutein Protects RGC-5 Cells Against Hypoxia and Oxidative Stress. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2010; 11(5):2109-2117.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Suk-Yee; Lo, Amy C. Y. 2010. "Lutein Protects RGC-5 Cells Against Hypoxia and Oxidative Stress." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 11, no. 5: 2109-2117.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. EISSN 1422-0067 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert