Searching for a UV-filter in the eyes of high-flying birds

The eye lens is a unique organ as no cells can be replaced throughout life. This makes it decisive that the lens is protected against damaging UV-radiation. An ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing compound of unknown identity is present in the aqueous humor of geese (wild and domestic) and other birds flying...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2021-01, Vol.11 (1), p.273-273, Article 273
Main Authors: Zawadzka, Malgorzata, Ràcz, Beatrix, Ambrosini, Dario, Görbitz, Carl Henrik, Morth, Jens Preben, Wilkins, Alistair L., Østeby, Anja, Elgstøen, Katja Benedikte Prestø, Lundanes, Elsa, Rise, Frode, Ringvold, Amund, Wilson, Steven Ray
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/1647/2196
631/1647/296
631/1647/320
Acids
Altitude
Aquatic birds
Chromatography
Cornea
DNA damage
Eye lens
Flight
High-altitude environments
Humanities and Social Sciences
Mammals
multidisciplinary
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Radiation
Retina
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Ultraviolet radiation
Vitamin C
Wildfowl
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Summary:The eye lens is a unique organ as no cells can be replaced throughout life. This makes it decisive that the lens is protected against damaging UV-radiation. An ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing compound of unknown identity is present in the aqueous humor of geese (wild and domestic) and other birds flying at high altitudes. A goose aqueous humor extract, that was believed to contain the UV protective compound which was designated as “compound X”, was fractionated and examined using a variety of spectroscopic techniques including LC–MS and high field one- and two dimensional-NMR methods. A series of compounds were identified but none of them appeared to be the UV protective “compound X”. It may be that the level of the UV protective compound in goose aqueous humor is much less than the compounds identified in our investigation, or it may have been degraded by the isolation and chromatographic purification protocols used in our investigations.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-79533-2