The Lipofuscin of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium
J.R. Sparrow
Department of Ophthalmology, Eye Institute, Columbia University, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
Non-degradable autofluorescence pigments that accumulate in the retinal
pigment epithelium (RPE) are implicated in the death of RPE cells in
juvenile onset (Stargardt) macular degeneration and in the atrophic
form of age-related macular degeneration. Our efforts are directed
toward understanding the structures of these compounds, their
biosynthetic pathways, factors that promote their formation and
mechanisms by which they may damage the cell.
Key words:
retinal pigment epithelium; lipofuscin; retinoid-adducts; retinal degeneration
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