Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0086543 (cataract)
29,165 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

H2O2 stress is shown to produce cataract in cultured rat lenses. The loss of transparency begins in the equatorial region within 24 hours and the entire superficial cortex is opaque by 96 hours. No involvement of the nuclear region is observed. However after an additional 48 hours, the nuclear region becomes opaque. The loss of transparency is accompanied by a large uptake of H2O which occurs gradually over the 96 hour period, complete loss of glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) activity, almost complete loss of non-protein thiol and a slight decrease in protein thiol. Control lenses show no change other than the establishment of a new non-protein thiol base line approximately 60% lower than 0 time levels. The Alcon glutathione peroxidase type mimic, AL-3823A, completely eliminates almost all of the H2O2 induced effects and the lens remains transparent. Utilizing a more severe photochemical model than may be anticipated physiologically with 10 microM riboflavin and exposure to daylight fluorescent lamps, significant concentrations of superoxide and low levels of OH. are produced as well as extraordinarily high concentrations of H2O2 ranging from about 400 to 1000 microM. As with the H2O2 model, opacification begins at the equator but the cataract develops more rapidly, the lens being completely opaque by 68 hours. Hydration, GPD activity, non-protein and protein thiol all decrease more rapidly than in the H2O2 model. AL-3823A prevents loss of transparency until approximately 92 hours and markedly decreases changes in other parameters. At 92 hours, slight loss of transparency is observed. Catalase is somewhat less effective. AL-3823A is shown to also significantly decrease superoxide levels. The marked delay in the onset of changes in lens biochemistry and physiology in the severe photochemical stress model and the maintenance of normal parameters in the H2O2 model in the presence of AL-3823A suggests that such compounds may prevent cataract caused by oxidative stress under physiological conditions.
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PMID:The prevention of cataract caused by oxidative stress in cultured rat lenses. I. H2O2 and photochemically induced cataract. 838 89

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) is a causative factor of cataract. The increased concentrations of primary molecular LPO products (diene conjugates, lipid hydroperoxides) and end fluorescent LPO products, were detected in the lipid moieties of the aqueous humor samples obtained from patients with senile and complicated cataracts as compared to normal donors. The degrees of lens clouding were assessed quantitatively by measuring the optical density indices and areas of equidensities using digital image analysis. Human cataractous lenses showed decreased activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX, catalyzing reduction of organic hydroperoxides including hydroperoxides of lipids). The apparent Km for tert-butylhydroperoxide was 0.434 mM for human normal and cataractous lens GPX. When lenses were exposed for 1 h at 37 degrees C to linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LOOH, 0.5 mM) or egg phosphatidyl-choline hydroperoxide (PLOOH, 1 micro mol per 112 micro mol of phospholipid) in liposomes suspended in the incubation medium, normal, immature and mature human cataractous lenses showed a significant loss in the residual content of liberated LOOH to 62%, 38% or 17%, correspondingly, but little or no reduction was observed with PLOOH in liposomal membranes. Human, rabbit or mice transparent or immature cataractous lenses induced significantly more absorbance changes in conjugated diene, iodometric and TBA-reactive substance measurements when incubated with liposomal membranes which were decreased in the presence of free radical scavengers and antioxidant enzymes (EDTA, SOD, L-carnosine, chelated iron, catalase). Injection into the vitreous body of the rabbit eye of a suspension of liposomes prepared from phospholipids containing LPO products induced the development of posterior subcapsular cataract. Saturated liposomes did not cause clouding of the lens. This modelling of cataract was accompanied by accumulation of fluorescing LPO products in the vitreous body, aqueous humor and the lens and also by a fall in the concentration of GSH in the lens. The peroxidative damage to the lens cell membranes and biomolecules induced in the lack of reductive detoxification of phospholipid hydroperoxides is proposed as the triggering mechanism of cataractogenesis.
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PMID:Failure to withstand oxidative stress induced by phospholipid hydroperoxides as a possible cause of the lens opacities in systemic diseases and ageing. 860 75

The paradox of aerobic life, or the 'Oxygen Paradox', is that higher eukaryotic aerobic organisms cannot exist without oxygen, yet oxygen is inherently dangerous to their existence. This 'dark side' of oxygen relates directly to the fact that each oxygen atom has one unpaired electron in its outer valence shell, and molecular oxygen has two unpaired electrons. Thus atomic oxygen is a free radical and molecular oxygen is a (free) bi-radical. Concerted tetravalent reduction of oxygen by the mitochondrial electron-transport chain, to produce water, is considered to be a relatively safe process; however, the univalent reduction of oxygen generates reactive intermediates. The reductive environment of the cellular milieu provides ample opportunities for oxygen to undergo unscheduled univalent reduction. Thus the superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide and the extremely reactive hydroxyl radical are common products of life in an aerobic environment, and these agents appear to be responsible for oxygen toxicity. To survive in such an unfriendly oxygen environment, living organisms generate--or garner from their surroundings--a variety of water- and lipid-soluble antioxidant compounds. Additionally, a series of antioxidant enzymes, whose role is to intercept and inactivate reactive oxygen intermediates, is synthesized by all known aerobic organisms. Although extremely important, the antioxidant enzymes and compounds are not completely effective in preventing oxidative damage. To deal with the damage that does still occur, a series of damage removal/repair enzymes, for proteins, lipids and DNA, is synthesized. Finally, since oxidative stress levels may vary from time to time, organisms are able to adapt to such fluctuating stresses by inducing the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes and damage removal/repair enzymes. In a perfect world the story would end here; unfortunately, biology is seldom so precise. The reality appears to be that, despite the valiant antioxidant and repair mechanisms described above, oxidative damage remains an inescapable outcome of aerobic existence. In recent years oxidative stress has been implicated in a wide variety of degenerative processes, diseases and syndromes, including the following: mutagenesis, cell transformation and cancer; atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes and ischaemia/reperfusion injury; chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus and psoriatic arthritis; acute inflammatory problems, such as wound healing; photo-oxidative stresses to the eye, such as cataract; central-nervous-system disorders, such as certain forms of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, certain glutathione peroxidase-linked adolescent seizures, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's dementia; and a wide variety of age-related disorders, perhaps even including factors underlying the aging process itself. Some of these oxidation-linked diseases or disorders can be exacerbated, perhaps even initiated, by numerous environmental pro-oxidants and/or pro-oxidant drugs and foods. Alternatively, compounds found in certain foods may be able to significantly bolster biological resistance against oxidants. Currently, great interest centres on the possible protective value of a wide variety of plant-derived antioxidant compounds, particularly those from fruits and vegetables.
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PMID:Oxidative stress: the paradox of aerobic life. 866 Mar 87

This study examines the mRNA expression and enzyme activity of oxidative defense enzymes during the course of streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic cataract development. Diabetes was produced in 5-wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats by administering streptozotocin ip and mRNA expression and enzyme activity were monitored on d 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 40, 60, and 80; concomitantly, the onset and progress of cataract was followed by digital image analysis. Peak enzyme activity and mRNA expression were attained between d 20 and 40. Although catalase and glutathione peroxidase maintained high levels of mRNA expression through d 60, induction of CuZu-superoxide dismutase was transient, with the activity and mRNA levels returning to baseline values by d 40. There was a pronounced increase in aldose reductase activity, which gradually declined to basal levels by d 60; however, the mRNA levels remained unaltered. Other changes included a progressive loss of lenticular transparency, which declined to 40% of control by d 80. The role of antioxidant defense enzymes and, more interestingly, aldose reductase in combating oxidative stress in diabetic cataractogenesis is discussed.
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PMID:Oxidative defense enzyme activity and mRNA levels in lenses of diabetic rats. 924 27

Dietary calorie restriction extends both mean and maximum life span and retards age-related diseases, including eye lens cataract in Emory mice. The beneficial effects of calorie restriction have been hypothesized to reflect enhanced tissue antioxidant capacity. As a test of this hypothesis, we reared male and female Emory mice on control (C) or 40% calorie-restricted (R) diets. We then determined activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), Cu/Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT) in eye lens, liver and kidney of young (4.5 or 6 months), mature (11 or 12 months) and old (22 months) animals. Effects of diet, age and sex were evaluated by multi-factor ANOVA. Only kidney GR activities (mean +/- S.E.M.) were significantly enhanced with the R diet (R, 61 +/- 2 vs. C, 54 +/- 3 U/mg protein; P = 0.03). More frequently, we noted reduced antioxidant enzyme activity in R as compared with C animals, including reduced activities of T-SOD in lens, liver and kidney, Cu/Zn-SOD in liver and kidney, liver Mn-SOD and liver CAT (P < 0.05). Effects of age on antioxidant enzyme activity in C mice included age-dependent decreases in lens and kidney CAT and in liver Mn-SOD. There was also an age-dependent increases in liver and kidney Cu/Zn-SOD and liver GR. None of these age-dependent alterations in antioxidant enzyme function were attenuated in tissues of mice fed the R diet. Values for liver CAT were significantly lower in females than in males (P = 0.05). These results indicate that antioxidant enzyme activities in Emory mouse tissues are influenced by diet, age and sex. However, it is unlikely that increased lifespan and attenuation of cataract (and perhaps other age-dependent debilities), which are associated with the R diet in the Emory mouse, are due to enhanced antioxidant enzyme capabilities.
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PMID:Antioxidant enzyme activities in lens, liver and kidney of calorie restricted Emory mice. 948 91

Liver tissue is one of the principal targets of glucocorticoids, therefore changes in the balance between hepatic oxidative and reductive capacity may greatly influence adverse effects of glucocorticoid therapy. In this study, effects of glucocorticoid on the activities of hepatic antioxidant defence enzymes were examined by using developing chick embryos. After the administration of 0.25 micromol hydrocortisone sodium succinate, a typical glucocorticoid, to 15-day-old chick embryos, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase and superoxide dismutase in the liver generally began to decrease at around 4 h, reaching 60-70% of control levels between 24 and 48 h. These changes were observed much earlier than the elevation of the hepatic thiobarbituric acid reacting substance (TBARS) level which began to increase from 20h, reaching about six times the control level at 48 h after hydrocortisone administration. Conversely, the elevated TBARS level decreased back to the normal level with the recoveries of these enzyme activities. Furthermore, it was found that the aniline hydroxylase activity, measured as a marker of oxidative activity, began to increase after around 12 h. These results suggested that TBARS levels were possibly produced by the suppression of antioxidant defence abilities and the significant induction of oxidative activity in the liver by glucocorticoid. As the elevated TBARS in the liver can be distributed to tissues, TBARS will be involved in the occurrence of some of the glucocorticoid-induced adverse effects such as cataract formation.
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PMID:Alteration of activities of hepatic antioxidant defence enzymes in developing chick embryos after glucocorticoid administration--a factor to produce some adverse effects? 968 77

It has previously been shown that TEMPOL, n-propyl gallate and deferoxamine, compounds that limit the availability of Fe+2 and prevent the generation of hydroxyl radicals, protect cultured rabbit lens epithelial cells from H2O2-induced damage. In view of the importance of glutathione as an antioxidant and the decrease in GSH that is known to accompany most forms of cataract, we investigated whether these compounds protected cultured lens epithelial cells from H2O2 when the cells were artificially depleted of glutathione. Treatment of lens epithelial cells with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), a compound that irreversibly binds to glutathione, or buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of glutathione biosynthesis, reduced the glutathione content to an average of 15-20% of the control values without a concomitant increase in oxidized glutathione. Morphological changes were assessed by phase contrast and electron microscopy. In order to assess growth, cells in 5 ml serum-free MEM were exposed to an initial concentration of 0. 05 mm H2O2 (for 50,000 cells) or 2 doses of 0.5 mm H2O2 (for 800,000 cells). After exposure to H2O2, medium was replaced with MEM plus 8% rabbit serum; cells were fed on days 3 and 6 and counted on day 7. When 50,000 or 800,000 cells with decreased glutathione were exposed to 0.05 or 0.5 mm H2O2 the H2O2 was cytotoxic, whereas cells treated with H2O2 alone remained viable but showed inhibited proliferation. An unexpected finding was that cells continued to remove H2O2 from the medium at normal rates even when the GSH level was reduced. Cells treated with CDNB or BSO alone exhibited morphological and growth properties comparable to untreated cells. Cells treated with CDNB or BSO and then with H2O2 exhibited decreased cell-to-cell contact, nuclear shrinkage, and arborization when viewed with phase-contrast microscopy and showed extensive nuclear and cytoplasmic degeneration at the EM level. Cell death was determined by dye exclusion and confirmed by video microscopy. When cells were treated with CDNB or BSO and subsequently treated with TEMPOL, n-propyl gallate or deferoxamine and then challenged with H2O2 cytotoxicity was prevented and the cells were capable of growth. The data show that H2O2 was not lethal to glutathione-depleted lens epithelial cells when they were treated with compounds that prevented the generation of reactive oxygen species. In addition, the results indicate that GSH has an important protective role independent of its ability to decompose H2O2 via glutathione peroxidase.
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PMID:Protection from oxidative insult in glutathione depleted lens epithelial cells. 998 49

Utilizing a human beta-actin promoter, a catalase cDNA expression vector was constructed. This construct was used to transfect two immortal cell lines, mouse alpha TN4-1 and rabbit N/N 1003A. The catalase activity was increased about 3.4 fold in the alpha TN4-1 cells and 38 fold in the N/N 1003A cells. Some changes in other enzyme activities were also observed as a result of the transfections. Surprisingly, the ability to degrade H2O2 in the extracellular environment of the cells did not markedly change as a result of the catalase amplification. However, the ability to resist H2O2 stress was dramatically altered. Non-protein thiol (NP-SH) levels, choline uptake and glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) activity were all markedly decreased in the non-transfected cells when they were subjected to 300 microM H2O2. However, in both transfected cell lines, these parameters remained in the normal range during H2O2 stress. The results obtained upon observing aspects of DNA metabolism were more complicated. While on H2O2 stress, non-transfected cell lines showed a marked decrease in thymidine incorporation, only the transfected alpha TN4-1 line remained in the normal range. Thymidine incorporation in transfected rabbit N/N 1003A cells was decreased compared to normal cells. In contrast, studies on single strand DNA breaks indicated that transfected rabbit cells had little damage compared to the significant DNA damage observed in the normal cells. The normal N/N 1003A cells were also much more susceptible to H2O2 induced damage than normal alpha TN4-1 cells, suggesting that the high GSH peroxidase activity observed in the rabbit cells may be detrimental since the low glutathione reductase activity in such cells results in an accelerated depletion of glutathione. The overall results suggest that augmenting lens catalase may prevent cataract development caused by H2O2 stress.
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PMID:The effect of catalase amplification on immortal lens epithelial cell lines. 999 Mar 30

The effects of cigarette smoking on lipid peroxidation, the activities of antioxidases, and the level of non-protein sulphydryl group in the rat lenses were investigated. The results showed that compared with the control group, MDA contents were significantly higher, while the wet weight of lenses, the concentration of non-protein sulphydryl group, the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly decreased in the smoking rats. This study suggested that cigarette smoking might be involved in the development of cataract.
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PMID:[Effect of cigarette smoking on lipid peroxidation and antioxidation in rat lens]. 1032 31

Oxidative damage occurring in the lenses of patients with senile cataract may be due to partially reduced forms of oxygen. We assayed the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GSH-Red), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in rat lenses at different ages (1, 4, and 24 months), and also evaluated lens glutathione (GSH) levels and the effects of chronic administration of vitamin E and sodium ascorbate. We observed a significant age-related decrease in GSH-Px, GSH-Red and G6PD activities, but no age-related change in SOD activity. Chronic treatment with both vitamin E and sodium ascorbate failed to restore enzymatic activities to the levels of younger rats. An age-related reduction in GSH content was also observed; however, chronic administration of vitamin E, but not of sodium ascorbate, restored GSH levels to those of younger rats.
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PMID:Antioxidant systems in rat lens as a function of age: effect of chronic administration of vitamin E and ascorbate. 1033 41


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