Antioxidant and calcium levels in mature and immature diabetic cataract lens

Abstract

Cataract is considered a major cause of visual impairment in diabetic patients as the incidence and progression of cataract is elevated in patients with diabetes mellitus. The pathogenesis of diabetic cataract development is still not fully understood. Due to increasing numbers of type 1 and type 2 diabetics worldwide, the incidence of diabetic cataracts steadily rises. Even though cataract surgery, the most common ophthalmic procedure worldwide, is an effective cure, the elucidation of patho- mechanisms to delay or prevent the development of cataract in diabetic patients remains a challenge. Furthermore, patients with diabetes mellitus have higher complication rates from cataract surgery. Both diabetes and cataract pose an enormous health and economic burden, particularly in developing countries, where diabetes treatment is insufficient and cataract surgery often inaccessible. Hence the objective of the study was to assess the antioxidant levels and calcium levels in different stages of cataract. Our study showed a significant reduction in lens antioxidant activity with significantly increased calcium levels in mature stage of cataract, suggesting decreased antioxidant activity plays an important role in diabetic cataract by causing deposition of calcium in lens. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijls.v6i1.5290

Bioimage analysis of cell physiology of primary lens epithelial cells from diabetic and non-diabetic cataract patients

“…Physiological ECM calcium deposition is observed only in the skeletal system [30], thus ECM calcification of LECs is pathological. Higher reduction in antioxidant activity is reported in diabetic cataract patients compared to patients with age-related cataract [5,31]. The highest calcium deposition levels in LECs in the present study were detected exactly in the group of diabetic patients.…”

“…Adult diabetic patients develop cataract at earlier age compared to non-diabetic patients; however, there is no morphological difference between the age-related cataract and the cataract in adult diabetic patients [3,4]. Oxidative stress, induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), leads to lens opacification, as the antioxidant activity in the lens declines with age, as well as in diabetic patients [5][6][7][8]. Lens epithelial cells (LECs) exposed to oxidative stress, increased calcium deposit and membrane damage, undergo apoptosis [8].…”