Objective: To understand the mechanism of the rabbit lens damage from lipid peroxidation (LPO) involved in cataract development.
Methods: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation was used to induce the damage of peroxidation on cultured rabbit lens. Cultured rabbit lenses were exposed to UV radiation in MEM cultural medium without or with superoxide dismutase (SOD) added at 10 U/ml. The thiobarbituric acid (TBA) colorimetric method was used to detect the lens malondialdehyde (MDA) content produced by LPO, and electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of rabbit lens epithelium.
Results: In the lens with UV radiation, MDA was increased as compared with that in non-irradiated one (P < 0.01) and in UV + SOD group (P < 0.01). The membranes of lens epithelial cells were damaged and mitochondria, etc. membranous structures disappeared with clumping pattern of chromatin, while the cells in UV + SOD and control groups appeared normal in structure.
Conclusion: UV radiation can induce lipid peroxide damage in lens culture of rabbit.