Lateral spatial assay of zinc and superoxide dismutase in the ocular lens

A procedure is described, using a freezing microtome and measurements of tissue slice volume, to obtain serial sections of the lens for analysis of components from one side of the organ to the other. The concentrations of zinc (analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry) were similar in serial sections taken across the lens from the anterior to the posterior surface. The levels of the zinc metalloenzyme superoxide dismutase were, however, much higher in the anterior sections. This quite simple procedure may be useful for analyzing the distribution of lenticular components.