Biochemical and morphological changes in rat lenses after long-term UV B irradiation

The aim of the present study was to investigate biochemical and morphological changes in rat lenses following long-term UV B irradiation. After an irradiation period of 156 days with follow-up documentation by means of Scheimpflug photography, section-related biochemical analyses of the lenses as well as histological investigations were performed. The video-based Scheimpflug photography (Zeiss SLC) again proved to be an excellent method for the documentation of the UV cataract induced in rats. The biochemical analyses provided indications to potential damaging mechanisms; the section-related technique used allows more precise analyses than the processing of whole lenses in a cataract type restricted to a certain layer, as is the case with UV B damage. The most prominent biochemical findings were a significant decrease in glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the equatorial region in the group with the highest irradiation dosage and a decrease in lactate dehydrogenase in the nuclear region. The histological results reflect the local extent of the UV damage as well as its progression after a prolonged irradiation period.