ABSTRACT
Background Oxidative stress is thought to be responsible to diabetes-complicated cataract.Our previous study demonstrated that as an iron chelator,deferiprone can protect lens from oxidative damage.Objective This further study aimed to investigate the role of deferiprone on the formation of diabetic-complicated cataract.Methods Forty 6-week-old Wistar rats were included in the study and randomized into 4 groups.Eight of them were used as the normal control group.Diabetes mellitus animal models were established in 22 rats by the carbonhydratediet and fat diet and the intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg/kg streptozocin (STZ).The deferiprone of 50 mg and 100 mg were intragastrically given in 8 model rats respectively after 3 days once a day for 8 weeks.The opacification of lenses was examined under the slit lamp weekly after treatment.The animals were sacrificed and the lenses were obtained at the eighth week of deferiprone injection.The concentrations of water-soluble protein ( WSP),urine-soluble protein (USP) and alkali-soluble protein (ASP) in rat lens suspension were detected by Bradford method.The super oxide dimutese (SOD),malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) were determined spectrometically using xanthine oxidase,thiobarbituric acid,dithio bis-nitrobenzoic acid.Results No evidently differences were found in the content of the WSP,USP and ASP among the these groups( F=1.73,0.18,0.09,P＞0.05).The contents of MDA in 50 mg deferiprone group and 100 mg deferiprone group were ( 1.05 ± 0.10 ) mmol/g and ( 1.05 ± 0.22 ) mmol/g respectively,showing a significant decline in comparison with diabetic model group (P＜0.05).The SOD and GSH contents in lens were (321.29±16.57) U/mg,(322.07±22.16) U/mg and (7.83±0.65 ) mg/g,(7.70±0.77 ) mg/g respectively in 50 mg deferiprone group and 100 mg deferiprone group and were considerably elevated in comparison with ( 298.70± 14.69 ) U/mg and ( 5.47 ± 1.01 ) mg/g of diabetic model groups ( P＜0.05 ).No significant differences were found in the indexes mentioned above between 50 mg and 100 mg deferiprone groups(P＞0.05).Conclusions Deferiprone can reduce oxidative stress and improve the energy metabolism of the lens in diabetic rats.
ABSTRACT
Background Curcumin can eliminate free radical arising in the system and superoxide anion and further inhibit lipid peroxidation.Researches proved that curcumin has resisting effect on oxidative damage of lens,but its effect on the formation of age-related cataract is under clear.Objective This study was to investigate the effect of curcumin on the cataract induced by sodium selenite.Methods Thirty healthy clean SD rats of 12-day-old were selected.All the rats were randomly divided into the normal control group,model group and curcumin group and ten rats for every group.The selenite cataract models were established in the rats of model group and curcumin group by the injection of sodium selenite subcutaneously.Meanwhile,0.005 ％ curcumin lavaged the rats in the curcumin group daily for two weeks.Lens of the rats were examined under the slit lamp at 4,7,10,14 days after injection in all groups,and the opacification of lens was graded based on the He' criteria.The lenses of rats were obtained at the end of experiment and then the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD),the activities of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) in rat lens were detected using biochemical assay method.The use of experimental animals followed the Regulations for the Administration of Affair Concerning Experimental Animals by State Science and Technology Commission.Results The lenses were transparent throughout the experimental duration in the blank control group.Compared with model group,the development of the Ⅲ,Ⅳ,Ⅴ grade of cataract was slow down in the curcumin group with the significant difference( P＜0.05 ).The content of MDA,SOD and GSH-Px activity in lens appeared considerable differences among 3 groups ( MDA:F =215.42,P＜0.01 ; SOD:F =46.83,P＜ 0.01 ; GSH-Px:F=44.29,P＜0.01 ).The level of SOD was significantly reduced in the model group and the curcumin group compered with blank control group ( P ＜ 0.05 ) and that in the curcumin group was higher than the model group ( P＜0.05 ).The MDA level in the model group and the curcumin group was obviously rised in comparison with blank control group( P＜0.05 ),but that in the curcumin group lowed in comparison to model group( P＜0.05 ).GSH-Px activity in the curcumin group was significantly lower than that in blank control group and higher than that in the model group( P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusions The curcumin can effectively delay rather than the cataract formation induced by sodium selenite in SD rat by improved the resistance of oxidation in the lens.