Lipids of the Triparanol Cataract in the Rat

Abstract

The lipids of lenses from normal rats have been compared with those from cataractous and clearing lenses from rats fed triparanol. Desmosterol was about 1% of the sterols of normal lenses but amounted to approximately 10% of the sterols in lenses of triparanol-treated rats. Clearing and cataractous lenses contained about the same amount of desmosterol. On a ‘per lens’ basis, and with the exception of sphingomyelin, cataractous lenses contained less phospholipids than control lenses. Clearing lenses were intermediate and showed a tendency to return to normal values. The composition of the phospholipids showed a persistent decrease in phosphatidyl serine in the triparanol-treated animals.