Antioxidants reduce diabetic damage in bovine lenses in culture

Abstract

Purpose Background: There are several theories regarding possible mechanisms leading to diabetic cataract. Few of them include oxidation stress. Aims: Investigation of the mechanisms of cataract formation under diabetic conditions, and examination of the effects of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC), (which is a precursor of glutathione and an anti‐inflammatory agent) and derivatives of Desferrioxamine (DFO)(which is an iron chelator and reduces oxidative stress) on diabetic cataract. Methods The experiments included 78 bovine lenses. The lenses were divided into eight different treatments including controls and lenses incubated with high glucose levels (450 mg %) with or without each one of the antioxidants. The intact lenses were incubated for a period of two weeks in our special organ culture conditions. Lens optical quality was analyzed every 24 hours. At the end of the culture period, oxidation was followed in the lens epithelial cells with dichlorofluorescein assay and lens proteins were analyzed by SDS and 2D gel electrophoresis. Results High levels of glucose in the culture medium caused optical damage to bovine lenses, increased lens volume due to swelling, increased oxidation of lens epithelial cells, and caused changes in lens beta crystallin. The anti‐oxidants reduced this damage. NAC and Zn‐DFO protected the lenses better than DFO. Conclusion Antioxidants can protect the lens from high glucose damage. This study was supported in part by a grant from the Esther and Chaim Coppel Trust and by the Guzik Ophthalmology Research Fund