Lycium barbarum polysaccharides protected human retinal pigment epithelial cells against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis

<b>AIM:</b> To investigate the protective effect and its mechanism of lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells. <b>METHODS:</b> ARPE-19 cells, a human retinal pigment epithelial cell lines, were exposed to different concentrations of H2O2 for 24h, then cell viability was measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay to get the properly concentration of H2O2 which can induce half apoptosis of APRE-19. With different concentrations of LBP pretreatment, the ARPE-19 cells were then exposed to appropriate concentration of H2O2, cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometric analysis. Expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bax were measured by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. <b>RSULTS:</b> LBP significantly reduced the H2O2-induced ARPE-19 cells’ apoptosis. LBP inhibited the H2O2-induced down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax. <b>CONCLUSION:</b> LBP could protect ARPE-19 cells from H2O2-induced apoptosis. The Bcl-2 family had relationship with the protective effects of LBP