Quercetin modulates keratoconus metabolism in vitro

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Cell Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Corneal scarring, a leading cause of vision loss, can result from disease, infection, or injury.
• Keratoconus (KC) is a corneal dystrophy associated with scarring, characterized by unknown onset but linked to altered cellular metabolism.
• Human keratoconus cells (HKCs) exhibit distinct metabolic activity compared to normal human corneal fibroblasts (HCFs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of quercetin, a natural flavonoid, as a regulator of cellular metabolism in both healthy and diseased corneal cells.
• To identify quercetin's effect on metabolic flux in human corneal fibroblasts (HCFs) and human keratoconus cells (HKCs).

Main Methods:

• Targeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics was employed to analyze metabolite variations.
• Experiments were conducted on HCFs and HKCs, both with and without quercetin treatment.
• Comparative analysis of metabolic profiles between treated and untreated cells identified key differences.

Main Results:

• Quercetin demonstrated a significant effect on regulating the metabolic activity of both HCFs and HKCs in vitro.
• Metabolomic analysis revealed specific variations in metabolite flux following quercetin treatment.
• The study identified quercetin as a potential therapeutic agent for modulating corneal stromal cell metabolism.

Conclusions:

• Quercetin shows promise as a therapeutic agent for targeting altered cellular metabolism in corneal stromal cells.
• This natural flavonoid represents a novel therapeutic avenue for conditions like keratoconus (KC) and corneal scarring.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms of action of quercetin in corneal cells.