Amyloid-β is found in drusen from some age-related macular degeneration retinas, but not in drusen from normal retinas11Edited by Hans E. Grossniklaus, MD

Immunohistochemical staining was performed with three Aβ antibodies on sections from nine normal eyes and nine eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The AMD eyes included three eyes with early AMD, three eyes with geographic atrophy, and three eyes with exudative disease. Five sections form each eye were evaluated. Aβ-positive deposits in drusen were identified using epifluorescence and confocal microscopy. Antibodies were pre-adsorbed with Aβ peptide to verify specificity. Some sections were also stained with PAS-hematoxylin to aid in identification of morphology. The Aβ antibody was optimized by detection of Aβ in amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. The Aβ label was blocked by pre-adsorption of antibody with Aβ peptide, verifying specificity. Four of the nine AMD specimens and none of nine controls contained Aβ-positive drusen. Two of the early AMD eyes had a few Aβ-positive drusen, each with a few Aβ-containing vesicles, and two of the geographic atrophy eyes had many Aβ-positive drusen with many Aβ-containing vesicles. In four of the nine eyes with AMD, Aβ was localized to a subset of drusen. Aβ in drusen correlated with the location of degenerating photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium.—Hans E. Grossniklaus