title: Anticataractogenesis Mechanisms of Curcumin and a Comparison of Its Degradation Products: An in Vitro Study.
abstract: Curcumin (Cur) exhibits anticataractogenesis activity. This study aimed to compare the activities of Cur with those of its degradation products in a series of in vitro lens protein turbidity assays. The results show that Cur (200 μM) ameliorates selenite-induced crystallin aggregation, and the mean OD value was 0.10 ± 0.02 (p < 0.05), which was significantly different from controls (0.15 ± 0.01) after incubating for 3 days. However, Cur did not significantly inhibit calcium-induced proteolysis after incubating for 3 days. Such results were supported by isothermal titration calorimetry observation that Cur binds with selenite but not with calcium. Presence of Cur and the degradation products examined (ferulic acid, cinnamic acid, vanillin, and vanillic acid) indicates significantly protective activities on lens γ-crystallins after UVC exposure for 3 h. Among the compounds examined, only ferulic acid exhibited a significant inhibitory effect against UVB-induced turbidity with a mean OD of 0.32 ± 0.01 (p < 0.05), which was significantly different from controls (0.49 ± 0.02). The previously reported anticataract effects of Cur may stem not only from Cur but also from its degradation products through various cataractogenesis mechanisms in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica , Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jiahn-Haur
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica , Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.|Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University , Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Shiang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica , Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Ching
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Cheng Kung University , Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fu-Yung
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica , Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Hsiung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University , Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tzu-Hua
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002386:Cataract / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D003459:Crystallins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D003474:Curcumin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: UV irradiation; curcumin; degradation products of curcumin; ferulic acid; selenite-induced turbidity