RAT LENS GLYCOLYSIS AFTER IN-VIVO EXPOSURE TO NARROW-BAND UV OR BLUE-LIGHT RADIATION

UV radiation and short wavelength visible light are known to damage va rious tissues in the eye. This paper investigates the effect on rat le ns glycolysis after in vivo exposure with 90 kJ m(-2) narrow band UV r adiation (UVB, 300 nm) and 90 kJ m(-2) blue light (435 nm) radiation. After exposure, all lenses were incubated in Medium 199. Samples of cu lture medium were withdrawn after 2, 4, 6 h and 5, 10, 20 h in two UVB studies and after 5, 10 and 20 h in a blue light study. Lactate is th e major end product of lens glycolysis. Lactate was determined with a modified enzymatic-photometric method. Intralenticular lactate was det ermined in one UVB experiment. In the UVB experiments we found a lower lactate production in the exposed lenses 2-6 h after exposure. There was an accumulation of lactate inside UVB-exposed lenses after 6 h inc ubation compared with their contralateral lenses. No significant effec t on lactate production was observed in the blue light experiment. Con clusions. UVB induced a reversible inhibition of glycolysis. UVB also induced an accumulation of lactate inside the lens. Blue light tended to increase glycolysis.