• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.77-86
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• 1998

Age-related changes in the lens capsule and epithelium of cataractous patients, ranging from 20 to 7o years old, were studied by means or LM, immunohistochemistry, and TEM. The lens capsule was divided into four zones; the anterior, subanterior, middle, and basal zone. The van Gieson staining reaction for collagen was prominent at the anterior and subanterior parts of the lens capsule. The reaction was more decreased in the elder group than the younger group. The collagen type IV reaction was prominent at the anterior zone of the lens capsule and around the cell. The reaction was more decreased in the elder group than the younger group. 3. The Periodic Acid Shiff-Alcian Blue reaction for mucopolysaccharide was prominent at the anterior zone of the lens capsule. The reaction was more decreased in the elder group than the younger group. The Apoptotic reaction was prominent at the nucleus of the lens epithelial cell. In the elder the cataractous group, the number of the apoptotic cells was more decreased. The electron microscopic change of lens epithelial cells were characterized by the increase of lateral fold and the cytoplasm with various vacuoles and Golgi complex. In the basal part, lens epithelial cell protruded toward the lens capsule in the 20-year-old group. The basal part of the 40-year-old group was flattened and covered with the cytoplasmic processes of adjacent cells. In the 60-year-old group, the mass of rough filaments separated lens capsule and the basal part of the lens epithelial cell. The electron microscopic change of the middle part of lens capsule was characterized by the aggregation of electron dense materials in the 40-year-old group, and the appearance of filamentous materials and the decrease of electron dense granules in the 60-year-old group.