Protective Effects of Piceatannol against Selenite-Induced Cataract and Oxidative Damage in Rats

• Published in: Current eye research 2022-09, Vol.47 (9), p.1272-1278
• Main Authors: Liu, Yating, Li, Jinglan, Ye, Zi, Ma, Tianju, Li, Zhaohui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidant; cataract; oxidative damage; piceatannol; selenite
• ISSN: 0271-3683; 1460-2202
• DOI: 10.1080/02713683.2022.2104320

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of piceatannol (PIC) on selenite-induced cataracts in Sprague-Dawley rats and explore its therapeutic effects as an antioxidant. Thirty-two eight-day-old rat pups were randomly divided into four groups, with eight pups in each of them. Group 1, as the control group, was injected with the same amount of saline, while Groups 2-4 were administered with sodium selenite (3.46 mg/kg) subcutaneously into the neck on postpartum day 10 for cataract induction. Without further treatment, Group 2 served as the control model, while Groups 3 and 4 (low- and high-dose PIC-treated) had intraperitoneal piceatannol from day 8 to day 17 at doses of 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg, respectively. On postpartum day 17, after the last injection, the rat pups were examined for cataract grade by slit lamp, and the lenses of every group were isolated for oxidative damage indicators and further analysis. SRA01/04 cells were exposed to 600 μM H 2 O 2 for 24 hours with or without pretreatment with 10μМ piceatannol. Cell viability was tested by CCK-8 assay and cell apoptosis was evaluated by AnnexinV-PE/7AAD assay. This study determined that compared with the model group, the degree of lens opacity was significantly reduced in PIC-treated groups. The histopathological damage of the lenses in the PIC-treated groups improved compared to the model group. There were fewer signs of lesions, such as vacuoles and atrophy. The biochemical results indicated that malondialdehyde (MDA) content of the PIC-treated groups were downregulated and the antioxidant enzyme activities (GSH and catalase) and antioxidant status (SOD) were upregulated compared with the model group. In vitro, piceatannol significantly restored cell viability and cell apoptosis under H 2 O 2 injury. Pretreatment with piceatannol may achieve a protective effect on cataract development through upregulating antioxidant enzyme activity.