녹차의 포름알데히드에 의한 인간 망막 색소 상피세포 사멸 차단 효과

Green Tea Catechins Protect Formaldehyde-induced Cell Death in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

Green tea (GT) is consumed throughout the world because of its beneficial effects on preventing the onset of many diseases in humans. The major components of GT are epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epicatechin (EC). Formaldehyde (FA) is a volatile substance that is found in many environmental conditions, such as pesticides and new buildings. The eye is a very sensitive organ to a range of insults. Retinal pigment epithelial cells are one of the components of the eye, whose dysfunction is implicated in diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. This study examined the preventive effect of green tea extracts on FA-induced dysfunction of ARPE cells, a human retinal epithelial cell line. FA induced a decrease in cell viability, stimulated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and increased lipid peroxide (LPO) formation. A treatment with the GT extracts (GTE, 10 mg/ml) prevented FA-induced cell death and LDH activity in ARPE cells. In addition, the treatment of EGCG, EGC, ECG, and EC also prevented the FA-induced decrease in cell viability, increased LPO formation and decreased the GSH contents. Overall, GT prevented FA-induced cell death mainly by decreasing oxidative stress in ARPE cells. In conclusion, GTE prevents the FA-induced decrease in cell viability by decreasing the level of oxidative stress in ARPE cells.