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Subczynski WK, Pasenkiewicz-Gierula M, Widomska J. Protecting the Eye Lens from Oxidative Stress through Oxygen Regulation. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:1783. [PMID: 37760086 PMCID: PMC10525422 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12091783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular oxygen is a primary oxidant that is involved in the formation of active oxygen species and in the oxidation of lipids and proteins. Thus, controlling oxygen partial pressure (concentration) in the human organism, tissues, and organs can be the first step in protecting them against oxidative stress. However, it is not an easy task because oxygen is necessary for ATP synthesis by mitochondria and in many biochemical reactions taking place in all cells in the human body. Moreover, the blood circulatory system delivers oxygen to all parts of the body. The eye lens seems to be the only organ that is protected from the oxidative stress through the regulation of oxygen partial pressure. The basic mechanism that developed during evolution to protect the eye lens against oxidative damage is based on the maintenance of a very low concentration of oxygen within the lens. This antioxidant mechanism is supported by the resistance of both the lipid components of the lens membrane and cytosolic proteins to oxidation. Any disturbance, continuous or acute, in the working of this mechanism increases the oxygen concentration, in effect causing cataract development. Here, we describe the biophysical basis of the mechanism and its correlation with lens transparency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta Pasenkiewicz-Gierula
- Department of Computational Biophysics and Bioinformatics, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, Poland;
| | - Justyna Widomska
- Department of Biophysics, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
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Subczynski WK, Widomska J, Stein N, Swartz HM. Factors determining barrier properties to oxygen transport across model and cell plasma membranes based on EPR spin-label oximetry. APPLIED MAGNETIC RESONANCE 2021; 52:1237-1260. [PMID: 36267674 PMCID: PMC9581439 DOI: 10.1007/s00723-021-01412-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
This review is motivated by the exciting new area of radiation therapy using a phenomenon termed FLASH in which oxygen is thought to have a central role. Well-established principles of radiation biology and physics suggest that if oxygen has a strong role, it should be the level at the DNA. The key aspect discussed is the rate of oxygen diffusion. If oxygen freely diffuses into cells and rapidly equilibrates, then measurements in the extracellular compartment would enable FLASH to be investigated using existing methodologies that can readily measure oxygen in the extracellular compartment. EPR spin-label oximetry allows evaluation of the oxygen permeability coefficient across lipid bilayer membranes. It is established that simple fluid phase lipid bilayers are not barriers to oxygen transport. However, further investigations indicate that many physical and chemical (compositional) factor can significantly decrease this permeation. In biological cell plasma membranes, the lipid bilayer forms the matrix in which integral membrane proteins are immersed, changing organization and properties of the lipid matrix. To evaluate oxygen permeability coefficients across these complex membranes, oxygen permeation across all membrane domains and components must be considered. In this review, we consider many of the factors that affect (decrease) oxygen permeation across cell plasma membranes. Finally, we address the question, can the plasma membrane of the cell form a barrier to the free diffusion of oxygen into the cell interior? If there is a barrier then this must be considered in the investigations of the role of oxygen in FLASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Witold K. Subczynski
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Justyna Widomska
- Department of Biophysics, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 4, Lublin, Poland
| | - Natalia Stein
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Harold M. Swartz
- Department of Radiology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA
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Goralska M, Fleisher LN, McGahan MC. Vitreous Humor Changes Expression of Iron-Handling Proteins in Lens Epithelial Cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2017; 58:1187-1195. [PMID: 28245299 PMCID: PMC5338632 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.16-20610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose In humans, vitrectomy is associated with development of nuclear cataracts. Iron catalyzes free radical formation causing oxidative damage, which is implicated in cataract formation. This study was designed to determine if vitreous humor, which can initiate differentiation of lens epithelial cells, would have an effect on iron-handling proteins. Methods Cultured canine lens epithelial cells were treated with collected canine vitreous humor. Lysates of treated and control cells were separated by SDS-PAGE. Ferritin H- and L-chains, transferrin receptor 1, and aquaporin 0 were immunodetected and quantitated with specific antibodies. Morphologic changes in treated cells were assessed. Results Treatment of lens epithelial cells with a 33% (vol/vol) solution of vitreous humor changed the morphology of lens cells and induced expression of aquaporin 0, a marker of fiber cell differentiation that was undetectable in control cells. Treatment did not modify the size of iron-handling proteins but significantly increased content of ferritin from 2.9- to 8.8-fold over control and decreased levels of transferrin receptor by 37% to 59%. Conclusions Vitreous humor may significantly limit iron uptake by transferrin/transferrin receptor pathway, and by increasing ferritin levels could profoundly increase the iron-storage capacity of ferritin in lens cells. Vitreous humor may play a significant protective role against iron-catalyzed oxidative damage of lens epithelial cells and therefore in the formation of cataracts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malgorzata Goralska
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
| | - Lloyd N Fleisher
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
| | - M Christine McGahan
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
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Yan H, Wang D, Ding TB, Zhou HY, Yan WJ, Wang XC. Comparison of lens oxidative damage induced by vitrectomy and/or hyperoxia in rabbits. Int J Ophthalmol 2017; 10:6-14. [PMID: 28149770 DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2017.01.02] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM To compare of lens oxidative damage induced by vitrectomy and/or hyperoxia in rabbit. METHODS Sixteen New Zealand rabbits (2.4-2.5 kg) were randomly divided into two groups (Group A, n=12; Group B, n=4). In Group A, the right eyes were treated with vitrectomy and systemic hyperoxia (oxygen concentration: 80%-85%, 1 ATA, 4h/d) (Group A-right), and the left eyes were treated with hyperoxia without vitrectomy surgery (Group A-left). Four rabbits in group B (eight eyes) were untreated as the controls. Lens transparency was monitored with a slit lamp and recorded before and after vitrectomy. After hyperoxic treatment for 6mo, the eyeballs were removed and the lens cortices (containing the capsules) and nuclei were separated for further morphological and biochemical evaluation. RESULTS Six months after treatments, there were no significant morphological changes in the lenses in any experimental group when observed with a slit lamp. However, the levels of water-soluble proteins and ascorbate, and the activities of catalase and Na+-K+-ATPase were significantly reduced, whereas the levels of malondialdehyde and transforming growth factor β2 (TGF-β2) were significantly elevated, in both the cortices and nuclei of eyes treated with vitrectomy and hyperoxia. The increase in protein-glutathione mixed disulfides and the reduction in water-soluble proteins were more obvious in the lens nuclei. The levels of ascorbate in the vitreous fluid were also reduced after vitrectomy, whereas TGF-β2 increased after vitrectomy and hyperoxia. Systemic hyperoxia exposure increased these effects. CONCLUSION Removal of the intact vitreous gel with vitrectomy and exposing the lens to increased oxygen from the retina induce lens oxidation and aggregation. Thus, an intact vitreous gel structure may protect the lens from oxidative insult and maintain lens transparency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Yan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi Province, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Chongqing Eye Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Tian-Bing Ding
- Department of Microbiology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Hai-Yan Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Xi'an 710068, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Wei-Jia Yan
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an 710021, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Xin-Chuan Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi Province, China
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Fan X, Monnier VM, Whitson J. Lens glutathione homeostasis: Discrepancies and gaps in knowledge standing in the way of novel therapeutic approaches. Exp Eye Res 2016; 156:103-111. [PMID: 27373973 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2016.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Revised: 03/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Cataract is the major cause of blindness worldwide. The WHO has estimated around 20 million people have bilateral blindness from cataract, and that number is expected to reach 50 million in 2050. The cataract surgery is currently the main treatment approach, though often associated with complications, such as Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO)-also known as secondary cataract. The lens is an avascular ocular structure equipped with an unusually high level of glutathione (GSH), which plays a vital role in maintaining lens transparency by regulating lenticular redox state. The lens epithelium and outer cortex are thought to be responsible for providing the majority of lens GSH via GSH de novo synthesis, assisted by a continuous supply of constituent amino acids from the aqueous humor, as well as extracellular GSH recycling from the gamma-glutamyl cycle. However, when de novo synthesis is impaired, in the presence of low GSH levels, as in the aging human lens, compensatory mechanisms exist, suggesting that the lens is able to uptake GSH from the surrounding ocular tissues. However, these uptake mechanisms, and the GSH source and its origin, are largely unknown. The lens nucleus does not have the ability to synthesize its own GSH and fully relies on transport from the outer cortex by yet unknown mechanisms. Understanding how aging reduces GSH levels, particularly in the lens nucleus, how it is associated with age-related nuclear cataract (ARNC), and how the lens compensates for GSH loss via external uptake should be a major research priority. The intent of this review, which is dedicated to the memory of David C. Beebe, is to summarize our current understanding of lens GSH homeostasis and highlight discrepancies and gaps in knowledge that stand in the way of pharmacologically minimizing the impact of declining GSH content in the prevention of age-related cataract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingjun Fan
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, USA.
| | - Vincent M Monnier
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, USA
| | - Jeremy Whitson
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, USA
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Subczynski WK, Mainali L, Raguz M, O'Brien WJ. Organization of lipids in fiber-cell plasma membranes of the eye lens. Exp Eye Res 2016; 156:79-86. [PMID: 26988627 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Revised: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The plasma membrane together with the cytoskeleton forms the only supramolecular structure of the matured fiber cell which accounts for mostly all fiber cell lipids. The purpose of this review is to inform researchers about the importance of the lipid bilayer portion of the lens fiber cell plasma membranes in the maintaining lens homeostasis, and thus protecting against cataract development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Witold K Subczynski
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
| | - Laxman Mainali
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Marija Raguz
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia
| | - William J O'Brien
- Department of Ophthalmology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
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Filas BA, Shah NS, Zhang Q, Shui YB, Lake SP, Beebe DC. Quantitative imaging of enzymatic vitreolysis-induced fiber remodeling. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2014; 55:8626-37. [PMID: 25468895 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.14-15225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Collagen fiber remodeling in the vitreous body has been implicated in cases of vitreomacular traction, macular hole, and retinal detachment, and also may occur during pharmacologic vitreolysis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate quantitative polarized light imaging (QPLI) as a tool for studying fiber organization in the vitreous and near the vitreoretinal interface in control and enzymatically perturbed conditions. METHODS Fiber alignment was measured in anterior-posterior sections of bovine and porcine vitreous. Additional tests were performed on bovine lenses and nasal-temporal vitreous sections. Effects of proteoglycan degradation on collagen fiber alignment using trypsin and plasmin were assessed at the microstructural level using electron microscopy and at the global level using QPLI. RESULTS Control vitreous showed fiber organization patterns consistent with the literature across multiple-length scales, including the global anterior-posterior coursing of vitreous fibers, as well as local fibers parallel to the equatorial vitreoretinal interface and transverse to the posterior interface. Proteoglycan digestion with trypsin or plasmin significantly increased fiber alignment throughout the vitreous (P < 0.01). The largest changes (3×) occurred in the posterior vitreous where fibers are aligned transverse to the posterior vitreoretinal interface (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Proteoglycan loss due to enzymatic vitreolysis differentially increases fiber alignment at locations where tractions are most common. We hypothesize that a similar mechanism leads to retinal complications during age-related vitreous degeneration. Structural changes to the entire vitreous body (as opposed to the vitreoretinal interface alone) should be evaluated during preclinical testing of pharmacological vitreolysis candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamen A Filas
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
| | - Nihar S Shah
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
| | - Qianru Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States Eye Center, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ying-Bo Shui
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
| | - Spencer P Lake
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
| | - David C Beebe
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
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Beebe DC, Shui YB, Siegfried CJ, Holekamp NM, Bai F. Preserve the (intraocular) environment: the importance of maintaining normal oxygen gradients in the eye. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2014; 58:225-31. [DOI: 10.1007/s10384-014-0318-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Filas BA, Zhang Q, Okamoto RJ, Shui YB, Beebe DC. Enzymatic degradation identifies components responsible for the structural properties of the vitreous body. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2014; 55:55-63. [PMID: 24222300 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.13-13026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Vitreous degeneration contributes to several age-related eye diseases, including retinal detachment, macular hole, macular traction syndrome, and nuclear cataracts. Remarkably little is understood about the molecular interactions responsible for maintaining vitreous structure. The purpose of this study was to measure the structural properties of the vitreous body after enzymatic degradation of selected macromolecules. METHODS Mechanical properties of plugs of bovine and porcine vitreous were analyzed using a rheometer. Oscillatory and extensional tests measured vitreous stiffness and adhesivity, respectively. Major structural components of the vitreous were degraded by incubation overnight in collagenase, trypsin, or hyaluronidase, singly or in combination. Vitreous bodies were also incubated in hyper- or hypotonic saline. Effects of these treatments on the mechanical properties of the vitreous were measured by rheometry. RESULTS Enzymatic digestion of each class of macromolecules decreased the stiffness of bovine vitreous by approximately half (P < 0.05). Differential effects were observed on the damping capacity of the vitreous (P < 0.05), which was shown to correlate with material behavior in extension (P < 0.01). Digestion of hyaluronan significantly decreased the damping capacity of the vitreous and increased adhesivity. Collagen degradation resulted in the opposite effect, whereas digestion of proteins and proteoglycans with trypsin did not alter behavior relative to controls. Osmotic perturbations and double-enzyme treatments further implicated hyaluronan and hyaluronan-associated water as a primary regulator of adhesivity and material behavior in extension. CONCLUSIONS Collagen, hyaluronan, and proteoglycans act synergistically to maintain vitreous stiffness. Hyaluronan is a key mediator of vitreous adhesivity, and mechanical damping is an important factor influencing dynamic vitreous behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamen A Filas
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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