June 2015
Volume 56, Issue 7
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2015
Nicotine Enhances Oxidative Stress Mediated Retinal Degeneration In The Aging Eye
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Heping Xu
    Centre for Vision and Vascular Science, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Rosana Penalva
    Centre for Vision and Vascular Science, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Mei Chen
    Centre for Vision and Vascular Science, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships Heping Xu, None; Rosana Penalva, None; Mei Chen, None
  • Footnotes
    Support None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2015, Vol.56, 2361. doi:
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      Heping Xu, Rosana Penalva, Mei Chen; Nicotine Enhances Oxidative Stress Mediated Retinal Degeneration In The Aging Eye. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2015;56(7 ):2361.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose: Cigarette smoking is a major environmental risk factor to age-related macular degeneration. Nicotine is an important chemical component of cigarette. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nicotine in the development of age-related retinal degeneration.

Methods: Adults C57BL/6J mice (6 months old) were divided into four treatment groups: Nicotine (12mg/kg/day); blue light (460 nm, 8h/day); Nicotine + blue light; control (2% saccharine). Retinal lesions were examined at 6 and 12 months after the treatment by fundus imaging, electroretinography (ERG), and Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT). Eyes were collected at the end of the study for histological and immunological investigations.

Results: Compared to age-matched control animals, Nicotine alone did no induce retinal degeneration. Blue light treatment resulted in patches of retinal damage in 40% of animals, whereas the combination of blue light and nicotine resulted in retinal damage in 100% of mice. ERG analysis revealed significant reduction in a- and b-waves in light-treated and more in nicotine + light treated mice. Retinal lesions were characterized by patches of RPE death and photoreceptor degeneration accompanied by increased microglial activation and subretinal accumulation in these mice.

Conclusions: Although nicotine alone is not toxic to the retina, it enhances blue light induced retinal damage during aging. Nicotine is the main chemical component of the E-cigarette. Our results suggest that smoking E-cigarette may not be as safe as we thought. Further study on the effect of nicotine in oxidative stress mediated damage in the aging eye is necessary.

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