Anterior polar cataract and lysosomal alterations in the lens of rats treated with the amphiphilic lipidosis-inducing drugs chloroquine and chlorphentermine.

Chronic treatment of rats with the amphipilic drugs chloroquine and chlorphentermine caused prominent anterior polar cataracts in virtually all rats. The basic pathologic changes underlying these cataracts were: (a) degeneration of anterior polar and sutural endings of cortical lens cells and (b) multilayered proliferation and invasion of epithelial cells into the anterior polar cortex. Ultrastructurally cortical lens cells displayed various patterns of degeneration, finally undergoing complete liquification. Liquified lens substance was phagocytosed by invading epithelial cells. Cortical lens cells and epithelial cells contained numerous lipidosis-like (lamellated) inclusions, which possessed cytochemical acid phosphatase activity. The present drug-induced lenticular alterations are interpreted as the direct or indirect consequences of a drug-induced disturbance of polar lipid metabolism in the lens.