Vol 16, Issue 3, 2023 Online - 2455-3891 Print - 0974-2441 DNA DAMAGE IN LENS EPITHELIAL CELLS OF SENILE CATARACT PATIENTS OF DIFFERENT PRAKRITI ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA LITERATURE AVINASH NAMDEO JADHAO 1 *, KRANTI SANTOSH SORTE GAWALI 1 , MANOJ CHANDRAKANT LOKHANDE 2 , PARATE SHRAVANI S 3 1 Department of Biochemistry, Seth GSMC and KEMH Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. 2 Department of Biochemistry, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital Sion, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. 3 Department of Kayachikitsa, Ayurved Seva Sangh, Nashik, Maharashtra, India. Email: avinashjadhao@kem.edu Received: 31 October 2022, Revised and Accepted: 08 December 2022 ABSTRACT Objectives: The Ayurvedic concept of the constitution is useful in predicting an individual’s susceptibility to age-related diseases like Cataracts (Kaphaja Linganasha). The objectives of the study were to assess DNA damage directly in human lens epithelial cells (HLEC) of senile cataracts of Vata Predominant, Pitta Predominant, and Kapha Predominant Prakriti individuals. Methods: After obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee permission, HLEC were taken from 20 Vatta Predominant,20 Pitta Predominant and 20 Kapha Predominant Prakriti individuals of cataract after cataract surgery and from 4 controls in which quantitative assessment of DNA damage were measured using CometScore™ software. The formation of “comets” in the DNA of lens epithelial cells can be visualized through the method of single gel electrophoresis and indicates DNA strand breaks, as the damaged DNA migrates at a different rate than non-damaged DNA during electrophoresis. Results: No such prominent comets were indicating any DNA damage in the HLEC of the four control subjects, but comets were found in cataractous HLEC. The maximal damage was found in pitta-predominant Prakriti Individuals. In senile cataract patients, in HLECs DNA was randomly damaged and this type of damage was possible by reactive oxygen species. The DNA damage in HLEC was found maximally in pitta Predominant Prakriti individuals of senile type of cataract patients. Statistical significance was observed between senile cataracts in pitta predominant Prakriti versus senile cataracts in Vata predominant Prakriti individuals and between senile cataracts in Vata predominant Prakriti versus senile cataracts in Kapha Prakriti individual. No statistically significant results were obtained for senile cataracts in pitta Prakriti versus senile cataracts in Kapha Prakriti individuals. Conclusion: The pathogenesis of senile cataracts is multifactorial and includes continuous molecular stress brought by photo-oxidative stress, UV irradiation, and oxidative reactions. Keywords: Cataract, PRAKRITI, Comet assay. INTRODUCTION Cataract development accounts for 50% of blindness in the world [1]. A cataract is a senile change that happens because of aging. As age advances, cataract affects vision and if left uncorrected causes partial or complete blindness, this trouble seems the main concern of the twenty-first century [2]. The human lens epithelial cells (HLEC) perform a primary role in metabolic activities in lenses. Oxidative DNA damage to HLEC has long been documented as an important mediator in caspase-mediated cell death and has a major role in cataract pathogenesis [3,4]. Exposure of eyes to ultraviolet radiation causes photo-oxidative stress to generate reactive oxygen species such as superoxide radical anion (O 2 •– ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), hydroxyl radical (diatomic molecule • OH.), and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) attack cellular components, which is liable for DNA damage [5-8]. Various studies confirmed the association between a variety of DNA- damaging insults to the HLEC and the progress of lens opaqueness. The Ayurvedic concept of the constitution is useful in predicting an individual’s susceptibility to a particular disease such as VattaPrakriti’s individual predisposition for neurological disorders, dementia, movement and speech disorders, and arrhythmias, Pitta Prakriti individuals have a predisposition for skin diseases and ulcers, while Kapha predominant individuals have a predisposition for obesity, heart diseases and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. No other previous studies have directly measured in vitro assessment of DNA damage in lens epithelial cells of senile cataracts (KaphajaLinganasha) [9] of Vata Predominant, Pitta Predominant, and Kapha Predominant Prakriti individuals. Our study was conducted to assess the damage of DNA in senile cataracts directly in HLEC based on Prakriti of Individuals. METHODS This work has been sanctioned by the “Institutional Ethics Committee” vide letter No. DMIMSU/IEC/2008-09/151dt May 30, 2008. Study population Sixty individuals from three predominant Prakriti, each consisting of 20 Vata Pridominant, 20 Pitta Predominant and 20 Kapha Predominant Prakriti patients compared among each other between age groups 60 and 80 years. As it is difficult to get healthy control, who can donate lenses. For running control, lenses of 4 dead individuals below age 40 were collected from our institute’s mortuary who died in a road traffic accident. We have removed lenses from an expert but the procedure is not the same as cataract surgery. Exclusion criteria Type II Diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, tobacco chewers, cigarette smokers and alcoholics, or any other major illness. Prakriti assessment Prakriti assessment was carried out by a questionnaire developed by (Tripathi and Gehlot 2019) [10]. Confirmation of all the characteristics done by an Ayurvedic physician (Fourth author) based on a meeting and a complete physical inspection to assess various physical, physiological, © 2023 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ajpcr.2023v16i3.46712. Journal homepage: https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ajpcr Research Article