Effect of high-power density microwave irradiation on the soluble proteins of the rabbit lens.

New Zealand rabbits were irradiated on the left side of the head by microwaves (2.45 GHz) at 300 mw/cm2 for 20 min on each of 2 consecutive days. Lens changes in irradiated animals, observed by biomicroscopy, ranged from no changes to small posterior subcapsular opacities. Pore-gradient electrophoresis was used to examine the distribution of soluble lens proteins. A marked difference in soluble protein distribution of the lens cortex and nucleus was observed. Comparison of irradiated and control lenses revealed an apparent shift toward higher-molecular-weight components in the cortex samples of the microwave-irradiated lenses.