title: Editor's Highlight: Periodic Exposure to Smartphone-Mimic Low-Luminance Blue Light Induces Retina Damage Through Bcl-2/BAX-Dependent Apoptosis.
abstract: Blue light-induced phototoxicity plays an important role in retinal degeneration and might cause damage as a consequence of smartphone dependency. Here, we investigated the effects of periodic exposure to blue light-emitting diode in a cell model and a rat retinal damage model. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells were subjected to blue light in vitro and the effects of blue light on activation of key apoptotic pathways were examined by measuring the levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Fas ligand (FasL), Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD), and caspase-3 protein. Blue light treatment of RPE cells increased Bax, cleaved caspase-3, FasL, and FADD expression, inhibited Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL accumulation, and inhibited Bcl-2/Bax association. A rat model of retinal damage was developed with or without continuous or periodic exposure to blue light for 28 days. In this rat model of retinal damage, periodic blue light exposure caused fundus damage, decreased total retinal thickness, caused atrophy of photoreceptors, and injured neuron transduction in the retina.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Hui
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Man-Ru
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hui-Wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Hsuan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fan-Li
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.|Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jau-Der
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jaw-Jou
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008027:Light; D011485:Protein Binding; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000528:radiation effects*; D000068997:Smartphone; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
keywords: Bax; Bcl-2; FasL; age-related macular degeneration; apoptosis; blue light; caspase-3