Transport of Circulating Reduced Glutathione at the Basolateral Side of the Anterior Lens Epithelium: Physiologic Importance and Manipulations

• Published in: Experimental eye research 1996, Vol.62 (1), p.29-38
• Main Authors: MACKIC, JASMINA B., JINAGOUDA, SUJATA, McCOMB, GORDON J., WEISS, MARTIN H., KANNAN, RAM, KAPLOWITZ, NEIL, ZLOKOVIC, BERISLAV V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Transport - drug effects; Blood-Aqueous Barrier; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Epithelium - metabolism; Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; glutathione; Glutathione - metabolism; Glutathione - pharmacology; Guinea Pigs; Kinetics; Lens Cortex, Crystalline - metabolism; lens epithelium; Lens, Crystalline - metabolism; perfused eye; Sulfur Radioisotopes; transport; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0014-4835; 1096-0007
• DOI: 10.1006/exer.1996.0004

Transport of circulating reduced glutathione (GSH) was studied at the basolateral side of the lens epithelium by using an in situ vascular eye perfusion technique in guinea-pigs with rapid sampling to ensure detecting initial uptakes. The unidirectional transport rates of [ 35S ]-GSH (4n m) from plasma and aqueous into the epithelial cytosol were 0.046 ±0.003 and 6.88 ±0.39min -1, respectively. HPLC analysis indicated that over 94% of [ 35S ]-GSH remained intact in the epithelium and cortex in the presence or absence of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase inhibitor, serine borate. Simultaneous infusion of [ 35S-cysteine ]-GSH and [ 3H-glycine ]-GSH confirmed the non-involvement of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in GSH transport across the lenticular membranes by showing that 35S / 3H ratio in the epithelium and cortex was the same as in the aqueous and plasma. GSH epithelial influx was reduced by 53% ( P