Humanin Mitigates Aβ‐Induced Retinal Pigment Epithelium Injury via AMPK ‐Beclin1‐Dependent Mitophagy

ABSTRACT

Amyloid beta (Aβ), a key component of drusen in age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), induces oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and degeneration in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), contributing to progressive vision loss in the elderly. We investigated the protective role of Humanin (HN), a mitochondria‐derived peptide with known neuroprotective effects in Aβ‐related neurodegenerative diseases, in retinal pathology induced by subretinal injection of FITC‐labeled Aβ. HN enhanced the clearance of Aβ‐accumulated mitochondria in the RPE while preserving retinal function and RPE barrier integrity. In ARPE‐19 cells, HN activated AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK), leading to phosphorylation of ULK1 and Beclin1, which promoted the interaction between Beclin1 and Parkin and their translocation to mitochondria. This process facilitated the removal of Aβ‐accumulated mitochondria in the RPE. Our results demonstrate that targeting mitophagy in the RPE with HN may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for AMD.