권용수 (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)) | 한빛사논문 > 한빛사

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조회675

권용수Yong-Su Kwon

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)

ACS Nano, Nov 22 2022, 16 (11) | https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c09087 Melanin-like Nanoparticles as an Alternative to Natural Melanin in Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells and Their Therapeutic Effects against Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Yong-Su Kwon ¹, Min Zheng ¹, Alice Yang Zhang ¹, Zongchao Han ^{1 2 *}

¹Department of Ophthalmology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina27599, United States.
²Division of Pharmacoengineering & Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina27599, United States.

^*Corresponding author: correspondence to Zongchao Han

Abstract

Melanin is a natural pigment that is widely distributed in many parts of the human body, such as the skin and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in eyes. In contrast to skin melanin, which is being constantly synthesized by the epidermal melanocytes, melanin in the RPE does not regenerate. Melanin is known to function as a potential radical scavenger and photoprotective agent. However, the protective effects of melanin against oxidative stress decline with increasing age. This phenomenon has been correlated with the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). To increase the potential antioxidant and photoprotective characteristics of melanin, we designed a therapeutic strategy for replenishment of melanin using PEGylated synthetic melanin-like nanoparticles (MNPs) in the RPE for the treatment of AMD. We performed experiments using AMD-like cellular and mouse models and demonstrated that MNPs are biocompatible and selectively target reactive oxygen species (ROS) with powerful antioxidant properties. MNPs can traffic and accumulate in the RPE and are exclusively located in cytosol, but not the nucleus and mitochondria of the cells, for at least 3 months after a single-dose intravitreal injection. Our findings demonstrate that MNPs are able to substitute for natural melanin in the RPE and suggest the potential efficacy of MNPs as a natural radical scavenger against oxidative stress in ROS-related diseases, such as AMD.

논문정보

형식Research article
게재일2022년 11월 (BRIC 등록일 2024-03-13)
연구진국외 연구진
분야 바이오·의료융합 > 바이오소재

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