The Effect Of α-Lipoic Acid Against Damages To Human Lens Epithelial Cells During UV Irradiation

PurposeLipoic acid has been known as an oxidant present in a wide variety of human cell types. The aim of this study was to determine whether a - Lipoic acid enhance survival of human lens epithelial cells when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in a culture system.MethodsHuman lens epithelial cell line SRA 01-04 was cultured (5% CO2, 31℃ , and 96 -well plate) in Dulbecco' s Modified Eagle Medium ( DMEM) containing 20% fetal bovine serum. Sub confluent cells were incubated in DMEM (containing 20% fetal bovine serum) , with different concentration of a - lipoic acid for 2 hours. DMEM (containing 20% fetal bovine serum) was changed to PBS (containing different concentration of a - lipoic acid) before cells were irradiated under a bank of UV lamps, which emitted 270 -410 nm radiation with a maximum at 310 nm. The UV intensity was 0.4 mW/cm2 at dosages from 0to 110 mJ/cm . After UV irradiation, the cells were still incubated in DMEM (containing 20% fetal bovine serum) , with different concentration of a - lipoic acid for 2 hours. Then all the cells were cultured in the normal conditions for 48 hrs. At last the cell viability was assessed with crystal violet staining.ResultsHLEC incubated with a - lipoic acid before irradiation showed remarkable high survival rate than cells without a - lipoic acid incubation. There was no difference found between 1 mM and 0.5 mM. a -lipoic acid protected human lens epithelial cells against UV irradiation.Conclusionsa - lipoic acid enhanced survival of human lens epithelial cells in culture when exposed to UV irradiation. These results suggest that a - lipoic acid may be a potential agent for protecting human lens epithelial cells under UV irradiation.