The role of CD36 receptor in the phagocytosis of oxidized lipids and AMD

AMD is in two forms, a dry or atrophic form and a wet or neovascular form. However, these two forms were characterized in their common early form (also described in aged retina [1]) by the presence of deposits under the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), in Bruch's membrane (BM; [2]). The origin of drusen is not well established, and several hypothesis are built. Oxidative damage is considered as a major event [3]. Nevertheless, numerous studies using various histological, histochemical and microscopical techniques converge to demonstrate the presence in drusen of esterified and unesterified cholesterol, triglyceride, lipoproteins [4-7].