Identification of hydroxyapatite spherules provides new insight into subretinal pigment epithelial deposit formation in the aging eye
Abstract
Proteins and lipids accumulating in deposits external to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) represent a barrier to metabolic exchange between the retina and the choroidal capillaries. With time, these deposits can lead to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in the elderly in the developed world. It remains unclear how sub-RPE deposits are initiated and grow to clinically relevant features. Using a combination of high-resolution analytical techniques, we found that tiny hydroxyapatite (bone mineral) spherules with cholesterol-containing cores are present in all examined sub-RPE deposits, providing a scaffold to which proteins adhere. If the spherules are important in initiating sub-RPE deposit formation, this finding may provide attractive new approaches for early identification and treatment of AMD.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- February 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1413347112
- Bibcode:
- 2015PNAS..112.1565T