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Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Morphometric Analyses of Retinal Sections
Published on: February 19, 2012
Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Effects of 20% Marigold Extract Oil (Lutein/Zeaxanthin Complex) in LED-induced
Young-Hoon Kim1, Dong-Hee Kim2, Jung-Mo Ahn1
1Institute of Research and Development, Chaon Corp., Yongin, Republic of Korea.
Background/Aim:
Lutein and zeaxanthin (L/Z) are major components of macular pigment with established antioxidant and blue-light filtering properties. This study investigated the protective efficacy of a 20% marigold extract oil (L/Z complex) using both an A2E-mediated ARPE-19 cell in vitro phototoxicity model and a light-emitting diode (LED)-induced retinal injury rat model.
Materials And Methods:
In vitro, ARPE-19 cells were loaded with A2E and exposed to blue light (6,000 lux, 20 min). In vivo, rats were exposed to 750 lux LED for 48 h following 4-week oral administration of L/Z complex. Cell viability, inflammatory cytokines, antioxidant enzymes, retinal histopathology, and expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were evaluated.
Results:
In ARPE-19 cells, A2E-mediated blue light exposure reduced viability to 28.15±3.67% and markedly increased inflammatory cytokines. L/Z complex significantly reduced NF-κB, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression while enhancing HO-1 and antioxidant enzyme levels. In the rat model, L/Z complex preserved outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, enhanced total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and attenuated NF-κB expression.
Conclusion:
The L/Z complex confers retinal protection through coordinated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms in both cellular and animal models of retinal injury, supporting its translational potential as a nutritional intervention for retinal degeneration.
