title: [Cathepsin A activity in the aqueous humor in patients with cataract, absolute glaucoma and intraocular tumors].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate cathepsin A activity in the aqueous humor of patients with cataract, absolute glaucoma and intraocular tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  The studies were performed on human aqueous humor taken from anterior chamber of eye balls of patients operated because of cataract, absolute glaucoma and intraocular tumors. Cathepsin A activity was determined by the ninhydrin method with synthetic substrate (N-Cbz-Phe-Ala) at its optimum pH 5.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the human aqueous humor of the eye with cataract cathepsin A activity was more than three times higher than in the eye with choroid tumors and absolute glaucoma. No differences of enzyme activity in aqueous humor between patients with glaucoma and intraocular tumors were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increasing proteolytic activity of cathepsin A in aqueous humor of patients with cataract suggests its importance in cataract pathogenesis. This implies that cathepsin A is involved in development of lens opacity and is found in the aqueous humor due to diffusion from cataractous lens in which the proteolytic process prevails.
authors.affiliation: Katedry i Kliniki Okulistyki AM w Białymstoku.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Obuchowska
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bańkowski
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stankiewicz
mesh_terms: D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002386:Cataract / Q000378:metabolism*; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D002403:Cathepsins