Disulfiram inhibits cataract development in OXYS rats

Abstract

Surgical treatment remains the only way to restore vision in patients with cataract; this disorder is the most common cause of vision decline and vision loss in people older than 65. It is estimated that a 10-year delay in the development of a cataract will enable a twofold reduction in the need for surgery. In 2012 Nagai et al. reported an anticataract effect of the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor disulfiram (DSF) (which is widely used as an antialcoholism drug) in ICR/f rats with hereditary cataracts. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effect of DSF on cataract in OXYS rats. These rats develop lens alterations similar to senile cataract in humans. Administration of DSF from the age of 1.5 to 3.5 months did not prevent but significantly slowed cataract development in OXYS rats. At concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5%, DSF reduced the severity of pathological alterations in the lens by a factor of 1.8; at these concentrations, it was more effective than at a concentration of 1%. These data were in accordance with the results of ophthalmoscopic histomorphological examination, which showed that pharmacotherapy strongly reduced the structural damage (typical for cataracts) to the capsule of the lens epithelium and to the organization of its fibers. Thus, disulfiram is a promising drug for the prevention of senile cataract in humans.