| First Author | Cheng C | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | Aging (Albany NY) | Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 24 | Pages | 12497-12531 |
| PubMed ID | 31844034 | Mgi Jnum | J:380502 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:8279091 | Doi | 10.18632/aging.102584 |
| Citation | Cheng C, et al. (2019) Age-related changes in eye lens biomechanics, morphology, refractive index and transparency. Aging (Albany NY) 11(24):12497-12531 |
| abstractText | Life-long eye lens function requires an appropriate gradient refractive index, biomechanical integrity and transparency. We conducted an extensive study of wild-type mouse lenses 1-30 months of age to define common age-related changes. Biomechanical testing and morphometrics revealed an increase in lens volume and stiffness with age. Lens capsule thickness and peripheral fiber cell widths increased between 2 to 4 months of age but not further, and thus, cannot account for significant age-dependent increases in lens stiffness after 4 months. In lenses from mice older than 12 months, we routinely observed cataracts due to changes in cell structure, with anterior cataracts due to incomplete suture closure and a cortical ring cataract corresponding to a zone of compaction in cortical lens fiber cells. Refractive index measurements showed a rapid growth in peak refractive index between 1 to 6 months of age, and the area of highest refractive index is correlated with increases in lens nucleus size with age. These data provide a comprehensive overview of age-related changes in murine lenses, including lens size, stiffness, nuclear fraction, refractive index, transparency, capsule thickness and cell structure. Our results suggest similarities between murine and primate lenses and provide a baseline for future lens aging studies. |
