Oxidative modification products of lipids in the intraocular fluid of patients with cataracts associated with chronic non-infectious diseases

Introduction. To clarify the role of oxidative stress in the development of cataracts, it is necessary to determine the content of oxidative modification products directly in the eye tissue, but such studies are scarce, which is due to the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient amount of biomaterial for analysis and the need to use highly sensitive research methods as a result. Therefore, to assess the pathological changes in the lens, intraocular or tear fluid is used.Aim. To elucidate the role of oxidative stress in the development of cataracts by determining the content of lipid oxidation products and their comparative characteristics in intraocular fluid and in blood plasma in patients with cataracts associated with chronic non-infectious diseases.Materials and methods. The study involved 83 patients with cataracts associated with non-infectious diseases, who underwent surgical treatment. Of these, 30 patients had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a comorbid condition, 45 had cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and 13 had diabetes mellitus (DM). The control group consisted of 30 practically healthy individuals without clinical signs of acute or chronic diseases. Lipid oxidation products were determined by ultraviolet spectroscopy. Absorption spectra of non-oxidized lipids (E204), diene conjugates (E233), conjugated trienes, and ketodiene (E278) were recorded. Additionally, the ratios of absorption spectra of diene conjugates to non-oxidized lipids (E233/E204), as well as conjugated dienes and ketodienes to non-oxidized lipids (E278/E204), were calculated. Tear and intraocular fluids, as well as blood plasma, served as materials for the study.Results. In the group of patients with cataracts associated with non-infectious diseases, the content of diene conjugates, conjugated trienes, and ketodienes was increased relative to similar indicators in the tear fluid of people in the control group. Moreover, more pronounced changes were observed in the group of patients with cataracts associated with COPD relative to those with CVD and DM. A comparative analysis confirmed that in the group of patients with cataracts associated with COPD, the content of oxidized lipids in intraocular fluid and in blood plasma was increased. Correlation-regression analysis showed a positive relationship between the indicators of diene conjugates in intraocular fluid and in blood plasma.Conclusions. The significant direct linear relationship between the indicators of oxidized lipids in intraocular fluid and in blood plasma in patients with cataracts and non-infectious diseases may indicate the possibility of using blood plasma for studying oxidative processes in the lens and its pathological changes for the purpose of selecting therapy and evaluating treatment efficacy. The results obtained confirm the role of oxidative stress in the development of cataracts in patients with chronic non-infectious diseases.