Phosphorus-31 NMR study of the effects of hydrogen peroxide on young and old rat lenses

31P-NMR spectroscopy was used to study the dynamic changes in young and old rat lenses under oxidative stress with hydrogen peroxide. Control spectra were recorded for young and old rat lenses using normal media. Oxidative stress spectra were recorded under the same conditions, except that the normal media also contained hydrogen peroxide at four different concentrations. With increasing H2O2 concentration in the perfusion media there was a corresponding decrease in the observed phosphorus metabolites, phosphorylcholine and ATP. There was significant difference in the rate of depletion of metabolites between the young and old rat lenses; old rat lens showed an ATP decrease almost double that for young rat lenses. Also, the 31P control spectrum of the old rat lens was different from that of the young lens. The NMR results showed the importance of comparison of old and young rat lenses under oxidative stress as a model for senile cataractogenesis.