Inhibitory effects of chlorogenic acid on aldose reductase activity in vitro and cataractogenesis in galactose-fed rats

Chlorogenic acid (5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, CA), a phenolic compound found ubiquitously in plants, has antidiabetic effect in diabetic animal models. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of CA on diabetic cataractogenesis. We evaluated the aldose reductase (AR) activity during cataract development in 50% galactose-fed rats, an animal model of sugar cataract. Galactose-fed rats were treated orally with CA (10 and 50 mg/kg body weight) once a day for 2 weeks. In vehicle-treated galactose-fed rats, lens opacity was increased, and lens fiber swelling and membrane rupture were observed. In addition, AR protein was highly expressed in lens epithelial cells and lens cortical fibers of galactose-fed rats. However, CA inhibited the rat AR activity in vitro, and the administration of CA prevented the development of sugar cataract through the inhibition of AR activity. These observations suggest that CA is useful for the treatment of sugar cataract.