title: Aging and cataractous process of the lens detected by laser Raman spectroscopy.
abstract: Raman spectra from the lenses of rat and mouse were measured in situ at various conditions of lens aging and opacification. Laser Raman spectroscopy is a powerful nondestructive structural probe to provide us useful informations such as hydration or dehydration state, thiols and its oxidation or micro-environmental state of tryptophan or tyrosine residuse of the lens proteins. In this paper we summurized our Raman studies on various normal, aged and cataractous lenses. Lens dehydration was a common phenomena during normal aging. Regional distribution of lens water showed lens fiber aging from nucleus to cortex. On the other hand lens hydration was a common in the lens with opacification. Using regional water content as a diagnostic marker, the effect of aldose reductase inhibitor was monitored objectively. Lens slfhydryl (SH) groups were reduced with age and with opacification in general, and concomitant increase in disulfide (S-S) bonds was detected. In ICR/f rat lens the decrease in SH groups and simultaneous increase in S-S bonds were found even before lens opacity was manifest.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozaki
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism; D002386:Cataract / Q000378:metabolism*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004220:Disulfides / Q000378:metabolism; D007834:Lasers; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013311:Streptozocin; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D013311:Streptozocin