Increased glycosylation of human lens epithelial basement membrane in diabetes mellitus

Abstract

We studied the nonenzymatic glycosylation of lens epithelial basement membranes (LEBM) of senile cataractous lenses of both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. The human LEBMs were isolated from surgically removed senile cataracts and purified by osmotic lysis and detergent treatments. Glycosylation assay of LEBMs was done using the colorimetric method of Flückiger and Winterhalter. The glycosylation value ranged from 16.39 to 92.56 n mol/mg protein overall, with a mean of 63.54 +/- 24.56 n mol/mg protein for the diabetic specimens and a mean of 29.97 +/- 14.48 n mol/mg protein for the nondiabetic controls (P = 0.009). The study confirms our previous observation of in vivo glycosylation of the LEBM and further establishes that diabetic patients have a twofold increase in the amount of LEBM glycosylation when compared to their nondiabetic counterparts.

Role of Fish Oil on Amelioration of Injured Cornea and Lens of Diabetic and Hypercholesterolemic Male Wistar Rats

“…Diabetic related cataractous lenses were found to possess apparent increase of carbonylated lens proteins [34]. Increased glycosylation of lens epithelial basement membranes was reported in diabetic patients and adult diabetic rats neonatal streptozotocin induced rat model [35][36][37][38][39]. The elevated levels of AGEs in lens of diabetic rat were markedly correlated with apoptosis of lens epithelium and apparent depletion of epithelial cells within affected lenses [40,41].…”