Researchers from Russia have shown that the protein produced by the silkworm slows the development of age-related blindness. The work of scientists published in the journal Antioxidants.
With aging, the yellow-brown pigment lipofuscin accumulates in the tissues, which under the influence of light forms free radicals that are harmful to cells. In visual pigment epithelial cells, this process leads to age-related macular degeneration, which is one of the main causes of blindness, especially in the elderly.
Antioxidants of the carotenoid group, lutein and zeaxanthin pigments help slow the formation of free radicals. However, delivering them to the highly sensitive retinal epithelial cells is a challenge.
Russian scientists chose the BmCBP protein produced in the silkworm’s body as the carrier. In their experiment, they used zeaxanthin to introduce a retinal pigment epithelial cell culture supplemented with lipofuscin granules.
Data from time-dependent fluorescence microscopy, a technique that provides information about a cell without the use of contrast media, showed that the protein was successful in this task. Administration of antioxidants shortened the luminescence time of lipofuscin when oxidized by light.
Moreover, BmCBP itself slowed down the formation of free radicals, thereby reducing oxidative stress by about 35%, stressed one of the researchers, the head of the laboratory of physico-chemistry of biomembranes, Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University. MV Lomonosov Evgeny Maksimov.
Source: Ferra
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