Alteration of cadherin in dexamethasone-induced cataract organ-cultured rat lens.
OBJECTIVE
A side effect associated with long-term treatment of various diseases with steroids is a high incidence of posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSC). To understand the mechanism underlying steroid-induced cataract, the cultured lens model was developed, and the expression of potential candidate proteins during opacity formation was examined.


METHODS
Rat lenses were carefully dissected from the surrounding ocular tissue and incubated in medium 199. Dexamethasone was then added to the medium. The lenses were cultured for 7 days and photographed daily to record the development of opacity. Differential expression of candidate proteins was examined by Western blot analysis.


RESULTS
Various degrees of opacity were observed on the posterior subcapsular region as early as 5 days after incubation with dexamethasone. The expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin decreased in the cultured rat lenses during the development of opacity.


CONCLUSIONS
The pattern of opacity that developed in cultured rat lenses closely resembled that observed in patients with PSC. The results suggest that the decrease in E-cadherin plays a role in the formation of steroid-induced cataract.
Lyu
Jungmook
J
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Jung-A
JA
Chung
Sung Kun
SK
Kim
Ki-San
KS
Joo
Choun-Ki
CK
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002386:Cataract / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000633:toxicity*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000633:toxicity*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006727:Hormone Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D015735:Mifepristone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D015820:Cadherins; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D006727:Hormone Antagonists; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D015735:Mifepristone; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005978:Glutathione