Lipidomics of human corneal epithelial cells

ABSTRACT: Prolonged blue-light (BL) exposure from digital devices induces oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and apoptosis in human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs), yet effective multilevel protective strategies remain limited. Here, we developed a hierarchically assembled composite ocular delivery system, PDNs-SS31@Rhein (P-S@R), by embedding SS-31-loaded Panax notoginseng-derived nanovesicles (PDNs-SS31) within a Rhein/hyaluronic acid/Ca2+ composite hydrogel (Rhein gel). Lipidomic and functional analyses revealed that PDNs were efficiently internalized by HCECs via lipid raft-mediated endocytosis, thereby attenuating BL-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Loading the mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide SS-31 into PDNs (PDNs-SS31) significantly enhanced intracellular peptide delivery and mitochondrial targeting compared with free SS-31, thereby conferring superior mitochondrial protection. Meanwhile, the Rhein gel provided effective BL filtration and anti-inflammatory activity that was associated with inhibition of the NF-κB pathway. In BL-injured HCECs, P-S@R markedly attenuated the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, the accumulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, and inflammatory cytokine release, outperforming Rhein gel or PDNs-SS31 alone. These protective effects were closely associated with the restoration of PI3K-Akt/mTOR signaling and the concomitant suppression of ASK1 expression, together with reduced downstream JNK/caspase-3 signaling. The protective effects were further confirmed in a mouse model of BL-induced corneal injury, in which P-S@R treatment reduced corneal fluorescein staining and alleviated central corneal edema. Collectively, P-S@R integrates optical shielding, mitochondria-targeted repair, and anti-inflammatory modulation, offering a promising multicomponent strategy against BL-induced ocular surface injury.

INSTRUMENT(S): Liquid Chromatography MS - alternating - reversed-phase-chromatography

PROVIDER: MTBLS16103 | MetaboLights | 2026-10-23

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights