The senescence of lens epithelial cells (LECs) is a major factor leading to age-related cataract (ARC). ARC results in visual impairment and severe vision loss in elderly patients. However, the specific mechanism of ARC remains unclear, and there are no effective therapeutic agents to halt the formation of ARC. This study aimed to assess the underlying mechanism of the formation of ARC and investigate the potential anti-ageing effect of metformin (MET) on ARC. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups: the control group having young mice (3 months old, n = 40), the naturally aged group (aged 20 months, n = 60) and the MET group (MET, 20 months, n = 60). Mice in the control and the naturally aged groups were fed a standard purified mouse diet ad libitum and water, whereas those in the MET group were fed chows supplemented with 0.1% MET for 10 months. The transparency of the lens and age-associated proteins p21 and p53 were analysed in the LECs of these three groups. Furthermore, we determined the expressions of the adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway and the effect of MET on this pathway in LECs during the ageing process of ARC. In addition, the relationship between autophagy and the senescence of LECs and the role of MET in the autophagy of LECs during the ageing process of ARC were examined. Our results indicated that age-related inactivation of the AMPK pathway and impairment of autophagy might contribute to the senescence of LECs and the occurrence of ARC. More importantly, these results demonstrated that MET effectively alleviated the senescence of LECs and the formation of ARC probably via inactivation of the AMPK pathway and augmentation of autophagy. These findings revealed that MET can be exploited as a potentially useful drug for ARC prevention. Our study will help in enlightening the development of innovative strategies for the clinical treatment of ARC.

Background: The senescence of lens epithelial cells (LECs) is a major factor of age-related cataract (ARC). ARC results in visual impairment and severe vision loss in elderly. However, the specific mechanism of ARC is not yet clear and there are no effective therapeutic agents to halt the formation of ARC. The current study aimed to further explore the underlying mechanism of formation of ARC and investigate the potential anti-aging effect of metformin (MET) on ARC. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups: the young control group (Young, 3 months, n=40), the naturally aged group (Aged, 20months, n=60) and MET group (MET, 20 months, n=60). The young control group (Young, 3 months, n=40) and the naturally aged group (Aged, 20months, n=60) mice received ad libitum standard purified mouse diet and water, while the MET group mice were fed on chows supplied with 0.1% MET for 10 months. The transparency of lens and age-associated proteins P21, P53 were assessed in LECs in three groups. Furthermore, we determined the expressions of AMPK pathway and the effect of MET on AMPK pathway in LECs during the aging process of ARC. Besides, the relationship of autophagy and the senescence of in LECs and the role of MET in the autophagy in in LECs during the aging process of ARC were examined. Results: Our results indicated that age-related inactivation of AMPK pathway and age-related impairment of autophagy might contribute to the senescence of in LECs and occurrence of ARC. Importantly, these results demonstrated that MET effectively alleviated the senescence of in LECs and the formation of ARC probably via inactivation of AMPK pathway and augmentation of autophagy. Conclusion: These findings reveal that MET can be exploited as a potentially useful drug for ARC prevention. Our study will be informative for development of innovative strategies to the clinical treatment of ARC.