Small-Molecule Drug Repurposing for Counteracting Phototoxic A2E Aggregation

ACS Chem Biol. 2023 Oct 20;18(10):2170-2175. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00339. Epub 2023 Sep 14.

Abstract

Despite the well-established role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the mechanism underlying phototoxicity remains unclear. Herein, we used a drug repurposing approach to isolate an FDA-approved drug that blocks the aggregation of the photoinducible major fluorophore of lipofuscin, the bis-retinoid N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E). Our fluorescence-based screening combined with dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis led to the identification of entacapone as a potent inhibitor of A2E fluorescence and aggregation. The entacapone-mediated inhibition of A2E aggregation blocks its photodegradation and offers photoprotection in A2E-loaded retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells exposed to blue light. In-depth mechanistic analysis suggests that entacapone prevents the conversion of toxic aggregates by redirecting A2E into off-pathway oligomers. These findings provide evidence that aggregation contributes to the phototoxicity of A2E.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Drug Repositioning
  • Humans
  • Macular Degeneration* / etiology
  • Macular Degeneration* / metabolism
  • Macular Degeneration* / pathology
  • Retinal Pigment Epithelium* / chemistry
  • Retinal Pigment Epithelium* / metabolism
  • Retinal Pigment Epithelium* / pathology
  • Retinoids / metabolism

Substances

  • entacapone
  • Retinoids