In Vivo Dose-Response Effect of 300 nm UV Radiation on the Ocular Lens Epithelial Cells Count

To assess how varying doses of ultraviolet radiation affect the distribution of lens epithelial cells.

Forty Sprague Dawley rats were exposed unilaterally to ultraviolet radiation-300 nm at doses of 1, 3, 6, and 8 kJ/m². One week after exposure, lenses from both the exposed and the unexposed contralateral eyes were collected for analysis. A midsagittal section from each lens was stained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and examined using fluorescence microscopy to evaluate lens epithelial cell distribution.

The difference in lens epithelial cell density between exposed and non-exposed eyes at doses of 1, 3, 6, and 8 kJ/m² was measured as 95% confidence interval values of -0.1 ± 2.1, 0.1 ± 3.0, -4.1 ± 1.4, and -2.9 ± 2.7 cell·μm^-1·10^-2, respectively. Data were analyzed using a linear model with the initial density difference set to zero. The slope of the dose-response relationship was estimated as 95% confidence interval -0.4 ± 0.1 cell·μm·kJ^-1·10¹⁰.

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation-300 nm reduces lens epithelial cell density. The linear model provides a quantitative understanding of the relationship between ultraviolet radiation dose and cell density.