Protective Effects of Piceatannol against Selenite-Induced Cataract and Oxidative Damage in Rats

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of piceatannol (PIC) on selenite-induced cataracts in Sprague-Dawley rats and explore its therapeutic effects as an antioxidant.

Methods

Thirty-two eight-day-old rat pups were randomly divided into four groups, with eight pups in each of them. Group 1, as the control group, was injected with the same amount of saline, while Groups 2–4 were administered with sodium selenite (3.46 mg/kg) subcutaneously into the neck on postpartum day 10 for cataract induction. Without further treatment, Group 2 served as the control model, while Groups 3 and 4 (low- and high-dose PIC-treated) had intraperitoneal piceatannol from day 8 to day 17 at doses of 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg, respectively. On postpartum day 17, after the last injection, the rat pups were examined for cataract grade by slit lamp, and the lenses of every group were isolated for oxidative damage indicators and further analysis. SRA01/04 cells were exposed to 600 μM H₂O₂ for 24 hours with or without pretreatment with 10μМ piceatannol. Cell viability was tested by CCK-8 assay and cell apoptosis was evaluated by AnnexinV-PE/7AAD assay.

Results

This study determined that compared with the model group, the degree of lens opacity was significantly reduced in PIC-treated groups. The histopathological damage of the lenses in the PIC-treated groups improved compared to the model group. There were fewer signs of lesions, such as vacuoles and atrophy. The biochemical results indicated that malondialdehyde (MDA) content of the PIC-treated groups were downregulated and the antioxidant enzyme activities (GSH and catalase) and antioxidant status (SOD) were upregulated compared with the model group. In vitro, piceatannol significantly restored cell viability and cell apoptosis under H₂O₂ injury.

Conclusion

Pretreatment with piceatannol may achieve a protective effect on cataract development through upregulating antioxidant enzyme activity.

Keywords:

• Antioxidant
• selenite
• cataract
• piceatannol
• oxidative damage

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Other data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author or Yating Liu, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82070937 and 81870640) and the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (82000923 and 82101097).