Protective Effect of Catechin on Apoptosis of the Lens Epithelium in Rats with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced Cataracts

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of catechin on apoptotic cell death in the lens epithelium of rats with cataract. METHODS Cataract was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg/kg N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) to ten day-old Sprague-Dawley rats. The neonatal rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=15 in each group): a control group, and four cataract-induction groups, treated with either 0, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg catechin. We performed slit-lamp biomicroscopic analysis, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, Western-blot for Bcl-2 and Bax, and immunohistochemistry for caspase-3. RESULTS Apoptotic cell death in lens epithelial cells that increased following cataract formation in rats was suppressed by cathechin. CONCLUSIONS Catechin inhibited cataract-induced apoptotic cell death in the lens epithelium and may prove useful for the prevention of cataract progression.