The Effect of Sulindac on Senescence in Retinal Pigmented Epithelial Cells

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in industrialized countries. Cellular senescence was shown to be involved int he pathogenesis of AMD. We have shown that sulindac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, protects normal cells such as retinal cells against oxidative damage through preconditioning mechanism. To test this, we established an in vitro model for senescence in RPE cells by a treatment of hydrogen peroxide (oxidative stressor) for 12 hours followed by incubation for four days. We assayed for senescence by Beta-galactosidase assay to stain senescent cells. Effect of sulindac was tested by pre-treating cells with sulindac at different concentrations for 24 h prior to Tetra Butyl Hydrogen Peroxide treatment. The data shows that Sulindac reduced number of senescent cells in the samples treated compared to the control groups. These findings indicate oxidative damage induces cellular senescence, and sulindac lowers the amount of senescence by protecting from oxidative damage.