Apolipoprotein B in cholesterol-containing drusen and basal deposits of human eyes with age-related maculopathy

G Malek, CM Li, C Guidry, NE Medeiros… - The American journal of …, 2003 - Elsevier
G Malek, CM Li, C Guidry, NE Medeiros, CA Curcio
The American journal of pathology, 2003Elsevier
Lipids accumulate in Bruch's membrane (BrM), a specialized vascular intima of the eye, and
in extracellular lesions associated with aging and age-related maculopathy (ARM). We
tested the hypothesis that ARM and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease share molecules
and mechanisms pertaining to extracellular lipid accumulation by localizing cholesterol and
apolipoprotein B (apo B) in BrM, basal deposits, and drusen. Human donor eyes were
preserved< 4 hours postmortem and cryosectioned. Sections were stained with traditional …
Lipids accumulate in Bruch's membrane (BrM), a specialized vascular intima of the eye, and in extracellular lesions associated with aging and age-related maculopathy (ARM). We tested the hypothesis that ARM and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease share molecules and mechanisms pertaining to extracellular lipid accumulation by localizing cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (apo B) in BrM, basal deposits, and drusen. Human donor eyes were preserved <4 hours postmortem and cryosectioned. Sections were stained with traditional lipid stains and filipin for esterified and unesterified cholesterol or probed with antibodies to apo B, apo E, and apo C-III. Normal adult retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) was subjected to RT-PCR and Western blot analysis for apolipoprotein mRNA and protein. Esterified and unesterified cholesterol was present in all drusen and basal deposits of ARM and normal eyes. Both apo B and apo E but not apo C-III were found in BrM, drusen, and basal deposits. Fewer macular drusen were stained by traditional lipid stains and apolipoprotein antibodies than peripheral drusen. RPE contained apo B and apo E mRNA and protein. Finding cholesterol and apo B in sub-RPE deposits links ARM with important molecules and mechanisms in atherosclerosis initiation and progression. The combination of apo B mRNA and protein in RPE raises the possibility that intraocular assembly of apo B-containing lipoproteins is a pathway involved in forming cholesterol-enriched lesions in ARM.
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