Complement and UV-Irradiated Photoreceptor Outer Segments Increase the Cytokine Secretion by Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

Abstract

RPE cultivation with UV-POS might serve as a model to investigate the accumulation of lipofuscin-like structures. The enhanced cytokine secretion due to UV-POS with HCS may account for an increased susceptibility for lipofuscin-loaded cells to complement, inducing a proinflammatory environment as observed in AMD.