Ultrastructure of Transformed Lens Epithelial Cells in Anterior Subcapsular Cataractous Lens

ABSTRACT

Degeneration and transformation of lens epithelial cells (LECs) have been regarded as major causes of cataract and after-cataract. So behaviors of LECs have been studied in order to prevent some kinds of cataract and after-cataract, mainly in vitro. This study identified in vivo that human LECs beneath the anterior capsule were transformed in anterior polar type of cataract. Normal LECs showed positive staining for both cytokeratin and virnentin, while transformed LECs in the anterior polar type of cataractous lens were positive for vimentin only. Additionally, these transformed LECs seern to be fibrocytes without cellular junctions, are vertically or obliquely oriented, and spindle-shaped. These cells were embedded within 8 fibrillar meshwork rnass secreted by themselves. With this result it was found that LECs could be transformed into fibroblat like cells and this transformation of LECs were observed in anterior polar type of cataractous lens.