Protective effects of quercetin-3-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside against UVA induced apoptosis via regulating inflammatory pathways in ARPE-19 cells and Balb/c mice

Accumulation of N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E) and light exposure are known to be intensely involved in the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It has been demonstrated that when A2E was exposed to light, oxidative byproducts of A2E (oxo-A2E) are generated, causing cell death. We aimed to investigate the effects of quercetin-3-O-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (QA) on ultraviolet A (UVA) exposure in human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19 cells) and retinas of balb/c mice. This study demonstrated that QA inhibited translocation of NF-kB and upregulations of inflammatory related genes such as IL-1 beta, IL-6, MCP-1, CXCL-2, and VEGF-A, significantly increased by UVA exposure. In addition, QA prevented UVA induced apoptosis through decreasing caspase 3 activation and PARP cleavage both in APRE-19 cells and in retinas. Taken together, our study demonstrated the protective effects of QA on UVA induced apoptosis, suggesting that QA could be a potential agent to prevent onset and progression of AMD.