8-Isoprostaglandin F2a Levels in Aqueous Humor of Senile and Diabetic Cataract Patients

Abstract

We investigated the concentrations of 8-isoprostaglandin F2a, a marker of oxidative stress in aqueous humor of patient's of senile cataract and compared the results with diabetic cataract to determine whether diabetic cataract is associated with increased oxidative stress. Aqueous humor was aspirated at the beginning of phacoemulsification cataract surgery from 25 eyes of 25 patients with senile cataract and 25 eyes of age matched diabetic cataract patients. 8-Isoprostaglandin F2a (8-IPGF) concentration in the aqueous was determined with an immunoassay method. The mean concentration of 8-isoprostaglandin F2a in the aqueous from patients with diabetic cataract i.e.624 ± 95.7 pg/ml (range 400-750 pg/ml), was significantly higher than that measured in the aqueous of age matched senile cataract i.e.190 ± 41.2 pg/ml ((range 100-290 pg/ml).8- ISoprostaglandin F2awas significantly increased in the aqueous of patients with diabetes, confirming the evidence of a role for free radical induced oxidative damage in the pathophysiology of diabetic cataract.. The antioxidative capacity of aqueous humor should next be investigated in these two types of cataracts.