RIBOFLAVIN STATUS AND PHOTOINDUCED RIBOFLAVIN BINDING TO THE PROTEINS OF THE RAT OCULAR LENS
No Thumbnail Available
Date
1988
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The presence of radioactivity in lenses of rats injected intraperitoneally with a solution of tryptophan and 14C-riboflavin, irradiated during 48 hours and under N2 atmosphere, was detected. The excitation fluorescence spectrum (.lambda.emission = 520 nm) of the soluble lens fraction corresponds to the riboflavin decomposition product of lumichrome type. When 14C-riboflavin enriched lenses were exposed to visible light, a photo-induced binding between riboflavin and a water insoluble protein fraction of the lenses was observed. This finding may help to clarify the lens modifications during aging and in cataractogenesis.