Histochemistry and lipid profiling combine for insights into aging and age-related maculopathy.
Aging is the major risk factor for age-related maculopathy (ARM), the biggest cause of vision loss among the elderly in industrialized societies, and a major change in the affected tissues is the age-related accumulation of neutral lipid in Bruch's membrane (BrM) of the eye throughout adulthood. Here we show that esterified cholesterol (EC) is the major neutral lipid species in this tissue, which has implications for potential sources of this material. The combination of filipin histochemistry and comprehensive lipid profiling made possible this insight on a complex tissue.
Curcio
Christine A
CA
Department of Ophthalmology, Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Rudolf
Martin
M
Wang
Lan
L
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D016570:Bruch Membrane / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D004951:Esterification; D005372:Filipin / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism*
D005372:Filipin; D002784:Cholesterol