ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of leptin on the oxidative damage in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. MethodsHuman RPE cells (ARPE-19) were cultured in vitro, and randomly divided into control group and insulin resistance group. RPE cells were treated with 0, 10, 100 ng/mL leptin for 24, 48, 72 hours respectively. Then the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) expression in RPE cells were detected by 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescin-diacetate (DCFH-DA), and the levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) expression in RPE cells were observed by immunocytochemistry (ICC), and the levels of human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase l (hOGG1) expression in lysate were measured by Western blot. ResultsAfter 24, 48, 72 hours, the level of ROS (Control group:F=37.136, 37.178, 49.634; P < 0.05. Insulin resistance group:F=9.822, 28.881, 71.150;P < 0.05), 8-OHdG (Control group:F=88.643, 390.920, 1039.276;P < 0.05.Insulin resistance group:F=273.311, 299.155, 82.237;P < 0.05) and hOGGl (Control group:F=470.062, 1073.113, 295.456;P < 0.05. Insulin resistance group:F=240.032, 592.389, 527.760;P < 0.05) expression increased significantly with the increase of leptin concentration in control group and insulin resistance group. Under the same leptin concentration, the level of 8-OHdG has a trend that it was higher in the insulin resistance group than the control group. After 24 hours, the difference of hOGGl expression between control group and insulin resistance group was not significant (F=23.392, P > 0.05). After 72 hours, the level of hOGGl expression was significantly higher in the insulin resistance group than the control group (F=129.394, P < 0.05). The level of hOGGl expression was significantly higher at 48 hours than that at 24 hours and 72 hours (P < 0.05). ConclusionLeptin could induce the oxidative damage of RPE cells in normal and insulin resistance status. With the increase of leptin concentration and time extended, the degree of oxidative damage and its repair were both increased. The degree of oxidative repair increased with the increase of leptin concentration, but decreased with time extended.
Torpedo maculopathy is a rare, congenital lesion of RPE, which locates temporal to the macula and along the horizontal raphe. The lesion is torpedo-shaped with its torpedo-like tip pointing towards the fovea. As an incidental finding, it often affects only one eye with no damage to central visual acuity. According to its characteristics on OCT, it is divided into 2 types: typeⅠ, attenuation of outer retinal structures without outer retinal cavitation; typeⅡ, those with both attenuation of outer retinal structures and outer retinal cavitation. Diseases with pigment changes in the RPE layer similar to torpedo maculopathy include congenital hypertrophy of the RPE, RPE lesions in Gardner syndrome, etc. The main point to distinguish the disease from other diseases is its unique location and shape. Most of the torpedo maculopathy lesions are stable and do not require special treatment, but the disease can be complicated by neurosensory retinal detachment, choroidal neovascularization and so on, and symptomatic treatment is needed if necessary.