The role of advanced glycaiton end products (AGEs) in the pathogenesis of age related macular degeneration and the development of a new modality of therapy

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms how the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that deposited in soft drusen induce macrophage infiltration. We hypothesized that these macrophages induce choroidal neovasclarization. The following results were obtained in this study.1) AGEs induce an overexpression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in the cultured retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.An overexpression of MCP-1 when stimulated by AGEs was detected by ELISA. In the surgical specimens, the RPE cells that had phagocytosed AGEs were positive for MCP-1 by immunohistochemistry. The adjacent macrophages were positive for tumor necrosis factor-1 (TNF- 1) and Inteleukin-1β (IL-1β). These cytokines then induced over-expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that has been reported to be the key angiogenic factor for choroidal neovasclarization.2) Sub-RPE cells deposition of AGEs induce macrophage infiltration into this space.AGEs were injected into the sub-retinal space of the rat eyes, which Induced a prominent macrophage Infiltration.