Quantitative metabolomics of photoreceptor degeneration and the effects of stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium transplantation.

ABSTRACT: Photoreceptor degeneration is characteristic of vision-threatening diseases including age-related macular degeneration. Photoreceptors are metabolically demanding cells in the retina, but specific details about their metabolic behaviours are unresolved. The quantitative metabolomics of retinal degeneration could provide valuable insights and inform future therapies. Here, we determined the metabolomic 'fingerprint' of healthy and dystrophic retinas in rat models using optimized metabolite extraction techniques. A number of classes of metabolites were consistently dysregulated during degeneration: vitamin A analogues, fatty acid amides, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, acyl carnitines and several phospholipid species. For the first time, a distinct temporal trend of several important

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5031641 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature