title: Protective effect of catechin on apoptosis of the lens epithelium in rats with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced cataracts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of catechin on apoptotic cell death in the lens epithelium of rats with cataract.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cataract was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg/kg N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) to ten day-old Sprague-Dawley rats. The neonatal rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=15 in each group): a control group, and four cataract-induction groups, treated with either 0, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg catechin. We performed slit-lamp biomicroscopic analysis, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, Western-blot for Bcl-2 and Bax, and immunohistochemistry for caspase-3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apoptotic cell death in lens epithelial cells that increased following cataract formation in rats was suppressed by cathechin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Catechin inhibited cataract-induced apoptotic cell death in the lens epithelium and may prove useful for the prevention of cataract progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Myongji Hospital, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Il-Gyu
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Sung-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung Nam
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002386:Cataract / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002392:Catechin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000187:drug effects*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D002392:Catechin; D053148:Caspase 3