What is Lipofuscin?
lipofuscin is a term used for brownish greasy pigment granules. The term is derived from the Greek word "lipos", which means the fat and the Latin word "fuscus", which means a climbing or dark color. These small particles usually occur in the heart muscles, although they can also be seen in the kidneys or in the adrenal glands sitting on them, liver and nerve and ganglia cells. Lipofuscin is often referred to as aging or "wear and tear" of pigment because of its role in certain aspects of the aging process.
Lipofuscin particles contain lipids. They are based on their name from the term "lipos", they are oily molecules that store energy, which explains "greasy" assignment. It could also explain its origin, because members of the medical community believe that it is the result of removal of electrons from unsaturated fatty acids, which is a process known as oxidation. It is also believed that Lipofuscin is the remaining product of lysosome activity, organelles responsible for digestion in cells.
In addition, Lipofuscin is classified as a type of lipochrome pigment that provides color in certain parts of the body such as eyes. Thus, medical scientists believe that excessive accumulation of this pigmentation can cause macular degeneration or macular degeneration related to age (AMD). This health condition is characterized by a loss of vision in macula or macula lutea, which is an oval yellow -colored place of the eye, which acts as a central field of view and is located near the retina. This degenerative disorder often occurs in older people, especially those who are 60 years old and older.
Excessive accumulation of lipofuscin is involved in various diseases in addition to AMD. Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) is a category of eight diseases caused by such a condition. The first example of the NCL is Bateten the disease that is described as a disorder concerning the abnormal accumulation of lipofuscin in tissuesbodies. Patients are divided into four classifications depending on the patient's age group. Other neurodegenerative disorders associated with lipofuscin include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, called Lou Gehrig's disease in the United States.
Some medical scientists believe that reducing calorie intake and increasing tripeptide glutathion and vitamin E can be able to reduce or stop the incidence of lipofuscin. In addition, laser removal procedures have appeared to target lipofuscin to rejuvenate the skin. Although contemporary treatment is not enough to present a drug for a certain disease associated with pigment granules-remarkable example is disease-more research, such as the development of the drug against aging results.