Free Amino Acids in the Normal and Cataractous Bovine and Human Lens Capsule and Lens

Abstract

With circular paper chromatography the content of the free amino acids in the normal and cataractous bovine and human lens capsule and lens were tested. The normal bovine lens without capsule presented a greater quantity of free amino acids in relation to the bovine cataractous lens without capsule; the lens capsule of normal bovine lens presented a less quantity of free amino acids in relation to the lens capsule of the bovine cataractous lens. The normal human lens without capsule presented a relative increase in quantity of free amino acids in relation to the cataractous human lens without capsule (cortical and nuclear cataract); the lens capsule of the normal human lens presented a decrease in the quantity of free amino acids in relation to the lens capsule of the cataractous human lens (cortical and nuclear cataract). The human cataractous lens in cataracta nigra presented a marked decrease in quantity of free amino acids in relation to cataractous human lens without capsule (nuclear and cortical cataract), while the lens capsule of cataracta nigra, presented a marked increase in quantity of free amino acids in relation to the normal human lens capsule, and decrease in relation to the lens capsule of the cataractous human lens (cortical and nuclear cataract).