Imaging hydroxyapatite in sub-retinal pigment epithelial deposits by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy with tetracycline staining.

ABSTRACT:

Significance

Recent evidence suggests that hydroxyapatite (HAP) in sub-retinal pigment epithelial (sub-RPE) deposits in aged human eyes may act to nucleate and contribute to their growth to clinically detectable size. Sub-RPE deposits such as drusen are clinical hallmarks of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), therefore enhanced and earlier detection is a clinical need. We found that tetracycline-family antibiotics, long known to stain HAP in teeth and bones, can also label the HAP in sub-RPE deposits. However, HAP-bound tetracycline fluorescence excitation and emission spectra overlap with the well-known autofluorescence of outer retinal tissues, making them difficult to resolve.

Aim

In this initial study, we sought to determine if the HAP-bound tetracyclines also exhib

SUBMITTER: Szmacinski H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7171513 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature