Cataract Preventive Role of Isolated Phytoconstituents: Findings from a Decade of Research

Abstract

Cataract is an eye disease with clouding of the eye lens leading to disrupted vision, which often develops slowly and causes blurriness of the eyesight. Although the restoration of the vision in people with cataract is conducted through surgery, the costs and risks remain an issue. Botanical drugs have been evaluated for their potential efficacies in reducing cataract formation decades ago and major active phytoconstituents were isolated from the plant extracts. The aim of this review is to find effective phytoconstituents in cataract treatments in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. A literature search was synthesized from the databases of Pubmed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus using different combinations of keywords. Selection of all manuscripts were based on inclusion and exclusion criteria together with analysis of publication year, plant species, isolated phytoconstituents, and evaluated cataract activities. Scientists have focused their attention not only for anti-cataract activity in vitro, but also in ex vivo and in vivo from the review of active phytoconstituents in medicinal plants. In our present review, we identified 58 active phytoconstituents with strong anti-cataract effects at in vitro and ex vivo with lack of in vivo studies. Considering the benefits of anti-cataract activities require critical evaluation, more in vivo and clinical trials need to be conducted to increase our understanding on the possible mechanisms of action and the therapeutic effects.

Rosmarinic and Sinapic Acids May Increase the Content of Reduced Glutathione in the Lenses of Estrogen-Deficient Rats

“…Scientific reports based on observational studies indicate that a well-balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruits, containing about 150 g of protein, high intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, and a reduced amount of simple sugars, as well as supplementation with other vitamins or carotenoids, may contribute to delaying the cataract progression [31]. According to the in vitro and in vivo experiments, dietary components derived from medicinal plants, such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, carotenoids or phytosterols, seem to be effective in preventing opacity of the lenses [22,23,31]. They can act through various mechanisms, of which the most important is anti-oxidative and anti-glycating activities [23].…”

“…Our previous studies showed that both rosmarinic acid and sinapic acid had a positive effect on parameters related to glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as on some parameters of oxidative stress in the serum of ovariectomized rats in the early phase of estrogen deficiency [20,21]. Based on various experimental in vitro and in vivo animal studies, there are also suggestions on the possibility of using phenolic acids, including rosmarinic acid, to reduce cataract development [22,23,24,25]. However, there is still no data on the effects of plant-derived antioxidants, including rosmarinic and sinapic acid on oxidative stress parameters in the lenses exposed to estrogen deficiency.…”

Investigation of the Anti-cataract and Antioxidant Activities of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius Leaves Extract In vitro

“…Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that cataract is the primary cause of about 90% of blindness in people living in the developing world [2]. Cataract surgery involving the removal of lens and correction of eyesight with eye glasses or an intraocular corrective lens remains the most successfully developed treatment option for cataract [1,3,4]. However, the cost of surgery and aftermath complications of the surgical procedure remain a burden to both patients and surgeons [5].…”

Anticataract Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Garcinia Mangostana Linn Pericarp on Glucose-induced Cataractogenesis in Goat Lens

“…The molecular mechanisms which could be comprised in diabetic cataract include polyol pathway flux, osmotic stress, elevated oxidative stress, and increased formation of AGEs [11]. Potential therapeutics to reduce dicarbonyls and AGE formation have to be improved at scavenging dicarbonyls, alternative pathways for the diminution of AGE formation, for example, transition metal chelation to decrease the autoxidative fragmentation of glucose may be pursued [12].…”