The study of photodamage caused by riboflavin on recombinant human alpha-A crystallin and the reparative effect of the antioxidant ascorbic acid on damage

Riboflavin is one of the common components of the eye lens, which acts as a light-sensitive molecule. After being exposed to UVA and visible light, this molecule turns into a triplet state, in which case it can damage the crystalline proteins of the lens. In this research, lens crystalline proteins were incubated under direct sunlight and in the presence of riboflavin. Then, the photodamage caused by riboflavin on the crystalline lens was investigated using gel electrophoresis. Direct sunlight in the presence of riboflavin leads to cross-links, oligomerization, formation of species with higher weight and instability against enzymatic digestion of eye lens crystallins. Structural damage caused by riboflavin is well inhibited in the presence of natural antioxidant compounds of the eye lens such as ascorbic acid. Therefore, the strong antioxidant defense system of the eye lens acts as a barrier against the light damage of the sun's radiation throughout a person's life.

Keywords:

Riboflavin , Lens crystallins , Antioxidant defence system , Ultraviolet radiation