4-(Phenylsulfanyl) Butan-2-One Attenuates the Inflammatory Response Induced by Amyloid-β Oligomers in Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive eye disease that causes irreversible impairment of central vision, and effective treatment is not yet available. Extracellular accumulation of amyloid-beta (A beta) in drusen that lie under the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) has been reported as one of the early signs of AMD and was found in more than 60% of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Extracellular deposition of A beta can induce the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, COX-2, and iNOS in RPE cells. Thus, finding a compound that can effectively reduce the inflammatory response may help the treatment of AMD. In this research, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of the coral-derived compound 4-(phenylsulfanyl) butan-2-one (4-PSB-2) on A beta(1-42) oligomer (oA beta(1-42)) added to the human adult retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19). Our results demonstrated that 4-PSB-2 can decrease the elevated expressions of TNF-alpha, COX-2, and iNOS via NF-kappa B signaling in ARPE-19 cells treated with oA beta(1-42) without causing any cytotoxicity or notable side effects. This study suggests that 4-PSB-2 is a promising drug candidate for attenuation of AMD.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that the coral-derived compound 4-PSB-2 can effectively reduce the inflammatory response induced by A beta(1-42) oligomer, showing promise as a drug candidate for the attenuation of AMD.