title: Pyruvate inhibits galactosemic changes in cultured cat lens epithelial cells.
abstract: An attempt was made to maintain cat lens epithelial cells (CLEC) in culture and study the morphology, growth and survival of these cells in vitro. The influence of incorporation of galactose (30 mM) into the culture medium on the morphology and biochemistry of CLEC in the primary culture was then investigated. To establish the effect of galactose on CLEC, various biochemical parameters associated with galactosemic cataract such as aldose reductase (AR), Na+K+ATPase, glutathione, polyol and soluble/insoluble proteins were estimated after 24 h of incubation. The effect of pyruvate (5 mM), a 'physiological antioxidant', on the changes induced by galactose in CLEC was studied. CLEC in culture showed regular hexagonal cells with prominent nuclei. The CLEC culture attained confluency in 11 days during primary culture and semiconfluency in 14 days in two subsequent passages. Vacuolization and significantly raised AR activity, polyol levels and insoluble protein contents were observed; they had no effect on Na+K+ATPase and soluble protein after 24 h of incubation in the culture medium with galactose. Supplementation of pyruvate (5 mM) resulted in a lesser number of vacuoles together with a positive modulation of these parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India. skgupta@medinst.ernet.in
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Ipseeta
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mohanty
authors.forename: Deepa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trivedi
authors.forename: Radhika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tandon
authors.forename: Sushma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: Sujata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joshi
mesh_terms: D000449:Aldehyde Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002386:Cataract / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002415:Cats; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005690:Galactose / Q000494:pharmacology; D005693:Galactosemias / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011108:Polymers / Q000378:metabolism; D019289:Pyruvic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005136:Eye Proteins; D011108:Polymers; C024617:polyol; D019289:Pyruvic Acid; D000449:Aldehyde Reductase; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; D005978:Glutathione; D005690:Galactose