Re: P43

From: Stefan Lofgren, stefanl@mango.mef.ki.se
Date: 11/23/97
Time: 12:11:21 PM
Remote Name: 130.237.139.74

Comments

Thank you Irene for the interesting (and kind) comment. Your guess about the oxygen distribution in the lens is correct. The lens nucleus has the lowest oxygen concentration in the lens. The speculation about an oxygen-independent mechanism is interesting and requires some thinking. Since the nucleus is the oldest part of the lens, its molecules, e.g. enzymes, are also the oldest. They may therefore have (even in these young rats) been subject to post-synthetic changes making them more sensitive to UV radiation. The common anti-oxidative defense mechanisms are less abundant in the lens nucleus and may also play a role here. Finally, the nuclear result may be due to pure chance, caused by the high exposed-minus-control variation in the nuclear measurements.

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