This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Drusen in AMD affected by oxidation, researchers find

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

CLEVELAND — Drusen in eyes with age-related macular degeneration are affected more by oxidative damage than those in normal eyes, according to a cadaver eye study. This finding adds to evidence from previous clinical studies indicating that retinal damage in AMD is related to oxidation.

Researchers here at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute collected samples of drusen from 18 healthy donor eyes and five donor eyes with AMD. All the donor eyes were at least 56 years old. Using a combination of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry methods to analyze the drusen, the researchers identified 129 proteins. Up to 65% of the proteins found in drusen were present in both normal and eyes with AMD. However, more of the proteins in the drusen eyes were modified by oxidation than those in the healthy eyes.

Further research will be needed to determine how the oxidative protein modifications affect drusen formation and the onset of AMD, the researchers said.