Diagram featuring four linked text boxes: Initiating Factors, Mode, Effect in the Lens, and Hypothesis of Cataract Formation.
Initiating Factors: Age, Nutrition, Genetics, UV irradiation, Drugs, Stress (disease, infection, etc.), Environmental agents (smoking, noxious agents, etc.), Hormones.
Box linked to Mode.
Mode:
Direct: UV exposure. Indirect: Circulating metablities, cofactors, oxidants, anitoxidants, growth factors, cytokines, drugs, etc. Autoanitibodies.
Box linked to Effect in the lens.
Effect in the lens:
Initiating Factors: Age, Nutrition, Genetics, UV irradiation, Drugs, Stress (disease, infection, etc.), Environmental agents (smoking, noxious agents, etc.), Hormones.
Box linked to Mode.
Mode:
Direct: UV exposure. Indirect: Circulating metablities, cofactors, oxidants, anitoxidants, growth factors, cytokines, drugs, etc. Autoanitibodies.
Box linked to Effect in the lens.
Effect in the lens:
- Loss of metabolic function
- Epithelial damage
- Increased oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species, altered metal metabolism, decreased anitoxidant, etc.)
- Loss of chapter one function
- Deregulation of proteolysis
- Altered cell growth, differentiation
- Posttranslational modification of proteins (thiolation, glycation, crosslinkg, phosphorylation)
- Altered ion transport/balance and hydration
- Disrupted cytoskeletal structure
- Altered Ca
+2 metabolism - Altered lens morphology/suture patterns
- DNA damage
Box linked to Hypotheses of Cataract Formation.
Hypotheses of Cataract Formation:
- Change in protein-protein interactions and thus the state of aggregation
- Membrane damage