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Updated: Jul 24, 2026
Characterization of Molecular Mechanisms of In vivo UVR Induced Cataract
Published on: November 28, 2012
Analysis of Proteins During Recovery from Lens Opacity. Analysis of Selenite Cataract Model Using Sprague- Dawley and
Matsushima1, Mukai, Obara
1Department of Ophthalmology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Dokkyo, Japan
Abstract:
Background and Purpose: The cataract in Sprague-Dawley rats injected with selenite is a dense nuclear opacity that appears by 4 or 5 days after selenite injection and becomes irreversible by 7 days. Injection of Wistar rats with selenite resulted in a similar nuclear opacity by 4 or 5 days that began to recover transparency by 7 days. In this report, the cytoplasmic proteins were analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in lenses from Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats at 4 and 7 days after injection.Results: In the opaque lens cells, degradation of the 31 kDa protein and cytoskeletal proteins (vimentin, spectrin, and actin) was observed during cataract development using SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. During recovery from opacity, the decreased 31 kDa protein and the vimentin increased.Conclusion: The results suggest that the 31 kDa protein and the vimentin may be important for recovery of transparency in a reversible model of cataract formation.
