title: Involvement of interleukin 18 in cataract development in hereditary cataract UPL rats.
abstract: Our previous studies have demonstrated that lens epithelial damage by excessive nitric oxide causes an elevation in lens opacification in UPL rats, and it has been reported that interferon-gamma production in lens epithelial cells is involved in cataract development. In this study, we investigated the involvement of interleukin (IL)-18, which leads to interferon-gamma, in UPL rat lenses. The opacification of UPL rat lenses starts at 39 days of age. The gene expression levels causing IL-18 activation (IL-18, IL-18 receptor and caspase-1) are increased at 32 days of age, and the expression of mature IL-18 protein in the UPL rat lenses also increases with ageing. On the other hand, the interferon-gamma levels in UPL rat lenses are increased, and the increase in interferon-gamma levels in UPL rat lenses reaches a maximum at 39 days of age. Mature IL-18 expression and interferon-gamma production are achieved prior to the onset of lens opacification. In conclusion, the expression levels of IL-18 in the lenses of UPL rats are increased with aging. In addition, interferon-gamma levels in the lenses of UPL rats are also increased. It is possible that interferon-gamma generated by the activated IL-18 may induce cataract development in UPL rats.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kinki University, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Haruki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamura
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002386:Cataract / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015785:Eye Diseases, Hereditary / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000502:physiology*; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18