Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2011 Jun;66(6):639-45. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glr034. Epub 2011 Mar 7.
Lens transparency, or the magnitude of cataract severity, is a potential in vivo marker of aging distinguishable from diagnosed cataract. To explore lens transparency as a marker of aging, we determined its association with leukocyte telomere length (LTL) measured with quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cataract severity was directly measured in 259 participants, and prevalent cataract and incident cataract surgery were ascertained in 2,750 participants of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. LTL was unassociated with clinical cataract outcomes. Six of 259 had successfully aged lenses and a mean LTL of 5,700 bp, whereas 253/259 with poorly aged lenses had a mean LTL of 4,770 bp. Participants with a 1,000 bp greater mean LTL had nearly half the odds of any cataract (odds ratio = 0.47, 95% confidence interval 0.22-1.02) after adjustment. Lens transparency might be associated with longer LTL in community-dwelling older adults and should be investigated further as a possible biomarker of aging.
晶状体透明度,或白内障严重程度的大小,是一种潜在的体内衰老标志物,与已诊断的白内障不同。为了探索晶状体透明度作为衰老的标志物,我们确定了其与使用定量聚合酶链反应测量的白细胞端粒长度(LTL)的关联。在 259 名参与者中直接测量白内障严重程度,并在健康、衰老和身体成分研究的 2750 名参与者中确定了现患白内障和白内障手术的发生率。LTL 与临床白内障结果无关。在 259 名成功老化的晶状体中,有 6 名的 LTL 平均值为 5700 个碱基对,而在 253/259 个晶状体老化不良的患者中,LTL 平均值为 4770 个碱基对。经调整后,LTL 平均值每增加 1000 个碱基对,任何白内障的可能性就会降低近一半(比值比=0.47,95%置信区间 0.22-1.02)。在社区居住的老年人中,晶状体透明度可能与较长的 LTL 有关,应进一步研究其作为衰老的生物标志物的可能性。