Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Commons^™

Synthesis And Polarographic Analysis Of A2e, Elise Rivett

Honors Program Projects

As humans age, fluorescent retinoid pigments accumulate in the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells responsible for photoreceptor support. These fluorophores are of interest because they seem to contribute to diseases of the retina, particularly age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in older adults in the United States and currently has no cure. One well-characterized fluorophore, A2E, can be oxidized by visible light and then generate harmful oxidative species capable of inducing programmed cell death in RPE cells. Further characterization of the redox behavior of A2E could ultimately aid the development of macular degeneration treatments designed to …