Figure 8.

The proposed mechanism of Lycium barbarum extract-mediated protection against UVB-induced damage in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. The irradiation of UVB causes the increase of endogenous ROS and the induction of DNA damage, resulting in the damage and degeneration of RPE cells. The extracts of L. barbarum (wolfberry) LBA and LBE exert the potent antioxidant activity and attenuate the DNA damage induced by UVB irradiation in RPE cells, therefore, protecting the RPE cells from UVB-induced cell cycle G₂/M-phase arrest, growth inhibition, and apoptosis, further delaying or attenuating the degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial cells. The blue arrows indicate the impacts of UVB exposure. Green arrows indicate the bioactivities of L. barbarum extracts.