Study of Serum Nitric Oxide Levels in Senile  Cataract Patients and in Normal Individuals

Puneet Parasurampuria; Adeeb Alam Khan; Mohammad Ashraf; Shazia Aman; Shagufta Moin

Volume : II, Issue : VI, June - 2013

Study of Serum Nitric Oxide Levels in Senile Cataract Patients and in Normal Individuals

Puneet Parasurampuria, Adeeb Alam Khan, Mohammad Ashraf, Shazia Aman, Shagufta Moin

Abstract :

Cataract is a phenomenon in which the eye becomes opaque resulting in severe visual impairment, and senile cataract is the most common cause of blindness in the world. Levels of nitrite, a metabolite of nitric oxide (NO) are higher in the lens of human senile cataract patients than in normal lenses. There is induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein in the lenses, and administration of an iNOS inhibitor can prevent the lens opacification in the Shumiya cataract rat (SCR), UPL rat and selenite-induced cataract rat. The aim of this study was to determine the serum NO levels in senile cataract patients. Using the method of Griess L et al., the levels of NO in sera obtained from 120 senile cataract patients and 100 senile normal volunteers (age and sex matched) were determined. The mean serum NO level in the test group was 25.01�10.35 and 16.33�6.34 �M/L in the control group (p<0.01). The levels of NO in serum of senile cataract group were significantly higher than those of control group. This study revealed that serum NO level in cataract patients was higher than in normal individuals. These findings provide significant information that levels of NO are related to the pathogenesis of cataract. iNOS inhibitors can help with the prevention of cataracts which is a major health burden in many countries.