Abstract

Antioxidant effect of lycopene on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line

Author(s): Sheriff Sheik Abdulazeez, Balasubramanian Sundaram, Ponmurugan Ponnusamy

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause of blindness among elderly people and has become greater public health concern around the globe. Epidemiological reports suggest that consumption of large quantity of fruits and vegetables of high carotenoid content have a decreased risk of AMD. Lycopene is potent antioxidant and a carotenoid family member of known health benefits. Thus the present investigation was designed to evaluate the antioxidant property of lycopene on D407 retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell lines through lycopene incorporation studies and 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity assay. The results suggest that lycopene can be a potential candidate to halt the progression of AMD due to its effective defense against oxidative stress and non toxic nature on the RPE Cells.