Docosahexaenoic acid protects human RPE cells against oxidative stress via PI3K/Akt m-TOR/p70-p85S6K pathways

Purpose Oxidative Stress (OS) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), especially by targeting the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Dietary habits with high consumption of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been shown to prevent the development and evolution of AMD. Nevertheless, it is still unclear how DHA affects AMD. Our study aimed to investigate the involvement of the PI3K/Akt and m-TOR/p70-p85S6K pathways in human RPE cells after induction of OS, and then to assess the effect of DHA in the signaling pathways and in the protection against RPE cell death. Methods For this purpose, we used ARPE-19 cells exposed to the prooxidant agent, tert-butyl…