Archive | 2019
Effects of Grape-Enriched Antioxidant Diet on Retinal Pigment Epithelium Organelles Under Oxidative Stress
Abstract
Abstract Oxidative stress affecting photoreceptors or retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is associated with many retinal diseases. Cellular defense mechanisms preventing oxidative damage involve specialized proteins and their cofactors in mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). If reactive oxygen species cannot be dissipated, cells mount a complex stress response involving increased protein quality control and protein degradation via proteasomes and autophagy. Here, we explore these pathways in a mouse model representing chronic oxidative stress due to lack of methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA). MsrA in RPE in culture contributes to mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress protection. Grape-enriched diet known to alleviate RPE oxidative burden was effective in increasing mitochondrial cytochrome c and reducing ER stress marker protein in mice lacking MsrA. Autophagy marker p62 was unchanged. These results confirm benefit of grape-enriched diet for visual health and illustrate codependence of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ER stress in the context of retinal degeneration.