Glycation of cataractous lens in non-diabetic senile subjects and in diabetic patients.

Early- and advanced-stage products in the Maillard reaction, glycation, were measured in patients with diabetic or senile cataracts. Early-stage products were measured by means of furosine, which is an acid-hydrolysis product derived from fructose-lysine. Advanced-stage products were measured by fluorometry using high-performance liquid chromatography. Furosine levels were high (listed in descending order) in capsule, cortex and nucleus in both diabetic and senile cataracts. The advanced-stage products were also high (listed in descending order) in nucleus, cortex and capsule in both diabetic and senile cataracts. These results suggest that advanced-stage products might accumulate in larger amounts in the nucleus and cortex than in the capsule, resulting in the formation of cataracts. The study also revealed that the Maillard reaction plays an important role in causing not only diabetic cataracts but also senile cataracts.