2nd International Conference on Ophthalmology & Vision Science
August 04, 2025 | Virtual Event
Isabella Panfoli
Genoa University School of Medical, Italy, Italy
Rod photoreceptors, devoid of mitochondria, require significant chemical energy for visual
processing. Biochemical analyses, proteomic and imaging studies of rod outer segment disks
suggested that the metabolic support for phototransduction comes from ectopic oxidative
phosphorylation (OxPhos) playing a key role in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production.
Oxidative stress is associated with diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
Studies on an ex vivo model of human retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), ARPE-19
cells, examined the effects of phagocytosis of rod outer segments by cells maintained in normal
versus high-glucose environments. ARPE-19 cells cultured in high glucose and treated
with oxidized rod outer segments displayed altered intracellular trafficking and heightened
oxidation markers compared to those treated with unoxidized rods. This data suggests that
early oxidative damage in diabetic retinopathy may originate in the rods and subsequently
impact the RPE, providing a new perspective to the current notion that retinal degeneration
is solely dependent on redox alterations within the RPE. A proteomic and bioinformatic
study comparing rod disks and retinal mitochondria identified differential enrichment of the
OxPhos proteins in the disks versus retinal mitochondria. The rod disk proteins exhibited a
stronger correlation than the mitochondrial proteins with the tricarboxylic acid cycle and Ox-
Phos proteins. This indicates that OxPhos proteins represent a true component of the rod disk
proteome, with different functionality. These findings shed new light on the pathogenesis of
rod-driven retinal degenerative diseases and pave the way for new therapeutic approaches
for these conditions.
Isabella Panfoli has completed her PhD in Biology from Genoa University School of Sciences and her M.D. degree
from Genoa University School of Medicine (Italy). She is an associate professor of biochemistry at Genoa
University School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy, and a faculty member
of the course on chemistry and pharmaceutical techniques in the same department. Dr. Panfoli is a member of
various medical and scientific societies. She has published 163 papers in reputed journals and has been serving
as an editorial board member of repute.