Bioimage analysis of cell physiology of primary lens epithelial cells from diabetic and non-diabetic cataract patients

Abstract

Cataract is a multifactorial disease with increasing prevalence with age. Adult diabetics develop cataract earlier. Lens epithelial cells (LECs) exposed to oxidative stress (ROS), increased calcium deposit and membrane damage, undergo apoptosis, which results in lens opacification. Remaining LECs post-surgery leads to posterior capsular opacification (PCO). This study’s aim was to investigate the physiological characteristics of LECs from cataractous diabetic and non-diabetic lenses. Leader cells migration from age-related cataracts started on day 5–7 and from type-2 diabetics on day 8–10. Differences were found in the collective migratory activity and colony formation. On day 22, the colonies formed by LECs from age-related cataracts were three times more, than those formed by diabetic LECs. DNA synthesis and FOXM1 expression occurred in 55.76% of age-related cataract LECs, but only in 33.45% of diabetic LECs. The highest level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was found in diabetic LECs. Extracellular matrix calcification followed the same pattern as ROS. Among the main reasons for the development of age-related and diabetic cataracts is lens damage due to ROS release and elevated calcium levels. Diabetic LECs experience significantly lower in vitro migration and proliferative activities, compared to LECs from age-related cataracts. This is the first study of its kind in Bulgaria, contributing to the elucidation of the mechanisms of primary and secondary cataractogenesis in diabetic and non-diabetic adults.