Abstract: Objective  To investigate the improvement effect and mechanism of lutein on roxidative stress,
inflammation and cell activity in human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19 cells) induced by high concentration of
glucose. Methods After treatment of ARPE-19 cells with different concentrations of lutein solution and high concentration
of glucose, CCK-8 was used to detect changes in cell viability. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect
changes in inflammatory cytokine levels. The CM-H2DCFDA probe method was used to detect the changes in reactive
oxygen species (ROS) levels. The changes in the expression levels of SIRT1 and NLRP3 were detected by real-time
quantitative PCR. Results In the environment of high glucose, the expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor
necrosis factor (TNF)-α in ARPE-19 cells were significantly increased, ROS levels were significantly increased, and cell
viability was significantly decreased than those of control group (P＜0.05). After treating ARPE-19 cells with lutein, the
expression level of SIRT1 was significantly up-regulated (P＜0.05), and the expression level of NLRP3 mRNA was
significantly down-regulated (P＜0.05). Conclusion Lutein can improve oxidative stress and inflammatory response in
human retinal pigment epithelial cells through the SIRT1/NLRP3 signaling pathway, thereby increasing the cell viability.

Key words: lutein, retinal pigment epithelium, diabetic retinopathy, NLR family, pyrin domain-containing 3 protein,
inflammation, cytokines, oxidative stress, SIRT1/NLRP3 signaling pathway