The Effect of a Luteolin Supplement on Blue Light-Induced Cellular Senescence in White-Eyed Drosophila melanogaster Models of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Overview

The leading cause of visual impairment is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an irreversible eye disorder that causes permanent blindness and has a 40% increased mortality risk. AMD is projected to rise from 196 million to 288 million cases worldwide by 2040. Blue light exposure leads to oxidative stress in the retina, causing retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells to undergo cellular senescence (when cells stop dividing but do not die). The accumulation of senescent RPE cells leads to inflammation and retinal damage, ultimately resulting in AMD. Luteolin is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, and a senolytic (a substance that clears senescent cells). The purpose and novelty of this research is to ascertain Luteolin’s effect on blue-light induced AMD in vivo, through white-eyed Drosophila melanogaster models of AMD. Flies were exposed to blue light to induce AMD, measured through a phototaxis assay. Flies with AMD would not exhibit a natural tendency to move towards light; therefore a “pass” would be considered flies in the light vial. The results validate the phototaxis assay, since pass rates were significantly higher (p-value of 0.0049) for healthy flies (69.88% mean) than for AMD flies (20.99% mean). The hypothesis—Luteolin supplementation would suppress AMD—is supported since pass rates were significantly higher (p-value of 0.0009148) for AMD flies fed Luteolin (48.53% mean) than for AMD flies on standard diets (20.99% mean). Considering the limited, ineffective treatments currently available, senolytics could be effective, low-cost treatments for all stages of AMD. The Effect of Dispensing Mechanism on Drop Precision Camellia Sharma Mills E. Godwin High School, Richmond, VA Glaucoma is a group of diseases that lead to structural optic neuropathy and functional deficiency in vision. Worldwide, 80 million people have glaucoma with a blindness rate of 12%. There is no cure for glaucoma, but it can be managed effectively with disciplined use of daily eyedrops. However, eye drops are difficult to administer correctly due to shaky hands, incorrect amount of force applied, and applications of medicine on the eyelids or eyelash. Therefore, a more precise way of administering this medicine topically could help many people treat eye diseases. This study compared the difference between two experimental groups of piezoelectrical crystals and compressed air to see how precise they were compared to the control group of administering by hand. Prototypes for each of the three experimental groups were created using a combination of 3-Dprinting, eye dropper bottles, and the appropriate experimental material. These prototypes were tested by creating 25 drops of four different volumes (25 µL, 40 µL, 55 µL, and 70 µL). The percent error was calculated for each of these tests. The mean and standard deviation were calculated as the measure of central tendency and spread, respectively. A t-test was performed to determine the significance at the 0.05 level. Both tests of the experimental group versus the control were statistically significant rejecting the null hypothesis that the control and experimental group had an equal mean in favor of the alternative hypothesis. Future work for this study includes a cost-benefit analysis of materials and testing more mechanisms.

Competition history

• JSHS 2023 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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