Inhibition of glycation and aldose reductase activity using dietary flavonoids: A lens organ culture studies.

On the eve of increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus and related complications, the search for novel, safe and alternatives therapeutic approaches are evolving. In the present investigation, a panel of ten dietary flavonoids such as 4'-methoxyflavanone, formononetin, hesperetin, hesperidin, naringenin, naringin, rutin, diadzin, silibinin and silymarin was evaluated as possible inhibitors of sugar induced cataractogenesis using bovine lens organ culture studies. The effect of selected flavonoids was observed on glycation induced lens opacity, AGE fluorescence, carbonyl group formation (a biomarker of glycation), protein aggregation and aldose reductase (AR) inhibition. The results obtained clearly demonstrate the efficacy of rutin and silibinin as promising leads for inhibition of glycation reaction and amelioration of sugar induced cataractogenesis. The findings of the present study may be useful for designing and development of the novel lead molecules for the management of diabetic cataract.