Heat shock protein concentration and clarity of porcine lenses incubated at elevated temperatures.

Purpose: To quantify the concentration of heat shock proteins in lenses in lens organ culture at elevated temperatures, and to examine the relation between elevated temperature and lens clarity.

Methods: Pig lenses obtained from a local abattoir were dissected aseptically and incubated in medium M199 without serum for 4 days to stabilize, and lenses with protein leakage of less than 10 mg/l were obtained for heat shock exposure. Heat shock was performed by incubation for 1 h in M199 without serum at various temperatures ranging from 37 °C to 55 °C.

Is pycnogenol a double-edged sword? Cataractogenic in vitro, but reduces cataract risk in diabetic rats.

Purpose: Pycnogenol was used (a) to study its antioxidant activity, (b) to study its effects on lens integrity in organ culture and (c) in vivo to determine whether it could reduce the damage in model diabetic cataract.

Methods: For (a) our luminescent antioxidant assay was used, (b) lenses were incubated in medium 199, with 55.6 mM glucose.

The retinal carotenoids zeaxanthin and lutein scavenge superoxide and hydroxyl radicals: a chemiluminescence and ESR study.

Purpose: Carotenoids are present in many biological systems, often decreasing the formation of products of oxidative damage to biological molecules. In the macula their concentration is so high that it has been believed that the yellow color filters out damaging blue light. Recent reports that dietary lutein reduces the risk of cataract in the eye lens suggested that the antioxidant action of carotenoids, which has been inferred from decreased oxidative damage, warranted further direct investigation.

Optical function and mitochondrial metabolic properties in damage and recovery of bovine lens after in vitro carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone treatment.

In order to elucidate the correlation between lens optical function and metabolic function, in vitro bovine lens optical quality and mitochondrial integrity was measured following treatment with carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (the mitochondrial depolarizing agent, CCCP). The results indicate that in vitro exposure to CCCP resulted in concentration and time-dependent loss of sharp focus. The concentrations tested included 65.

Model study of AREDS antioxidant supplementation of AMD compared to Visudyne: a dominant strategy?

Objectives: In Ontario, Canada, in a cohort of all people initially aged 50-54 years, modeling whether the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) antioxidant supplementation for stage 3 and 4 AMD would decrease the costs of photodynamic treatment with Visudyne.

Perspective: Third party payer, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

Methods: Using reported risk reductions, prevalence data by age and sex from the Beaver Dam studies, and yearly costs: AREDS 182.