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Vitamin C–mediated Maillard Reaction in the Lens Probed in a Transgenic‐mouse Model
Author(s) -
Fan Xingjun,
Monnier Vincent M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1433.064
Subject(s) - maillard reaction , dehydroascorbic acid , glycation , ascorbic acid , crystallin , chemistry , lens (geology) , vitamin c , genetically modified mouse , biochemistry , vitamin , transgene , gene , biology , food science , paleontology , receptor
Aging human lens crystallins are progressively modified by yellow glycation, oxidation, and cross‐linked carbonyl compounds that have deleterious properties on protein structure and stability. In order to test the hypothesis that some of these compounds originate from oxidized vitamin C, we have overexpressed the human vitamin C transporter 2 (hSCVT2) in the mouse lens. We find that levels of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid are highly elevated compared to the wild type and that the lenses have accumulated yellow color and advanced Maillard reaction products identical with those of the human lens. Treatment of the mice with nucleophilic inhibitors can slow down the process, opening new avenues for the pharmacological prevention of senile cataractogenesis.