Oxidative stress and antioxidant status in older adults with early cataract

Oxidative stress and antioxidant status were determined in forty healthy men and postmenopausal women aged 50-70 years (F25, M15), who underwent concurrent eye examinations.

Blood samples were collected for analysing major well-known antioxidants by HPLC systems with UV and ECD detectors, total antioxidant performance using a fluorometry, lipid peroxidation determined by malondialdehyde using a HPLC system with a fluorescent detector and by total hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (HODE) and F2-isoprotanes (8-iso-PGF(2alpha)) using GC-MS.

Twenty-seven (F17, M10) of the 40 subjects were diagnosed to have early cataracts at the onset of the study, which were regarded as age appropriate lens opacities. There was no significant difference in plasma major antioxidants, total antioxidant performance, and lipid peroxidation determined by malondialdehyde as well as 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) between the groups with and without early cataract. However, isomers of 9- and 13-(Z,E)-HODE levels were significantly higher in subjects with early cataract as compared with those of non-cataract subjects (P<0.05).

Our data suggest that subjects with early cataract are under increased systemic oxidative stress, which can be identified by a sensitive biomarker of lipid peroxidation, such as isomers of HODE.