Resveratrol protects against high glucose-induced oxidative damage in human lens epithelial cells by activating autophagy

In the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract, high glucose levels induce oxidative damage in human lens epithelial cells (HLECs). Resveratrol has been demonstrated to be a potent antioxidant in various disease conditions; however, limited information is available on its effects on oxidative damage associated with the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract in HLECs. The present study aimed to determine whether resveratrol prevents high glucose-induced oxidative damage to human lens epithelial cells by activating autophagy. In the present study, HLECs treated with high glucose were used as a cellular model of diabetic cataract and treated with resveratrol for 24 h. Flow cytometry was performed to detect the cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) content. Autophagy marker protein levels were determined by western blotting. Immunofluorescence assay was performed to analyze in vitro microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 β (LC3B) protein expression. Autophagosome formation in HLECs was observed using transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrated that high glucose suppressed HLEC viability and proliferation rate compared with normal glucose levels (5 mM), which were significantly reversed by resveratrol treatment. High glucose also increased the ROS content compared with ROS content in normal HLECs, which was reduced following resveratrol treatment. Further experiments demonstrated that resveratrol significantly reversed the high glucose-decreased protein levels of LC3II and beclin-1 proteins and the high glucose-increased protein levels of LC3I and p62 in HLECs. In conclusion, resveratrol inhibited the high glucose-induced oxidative damage in HLECs by promoting autophagy through the activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. These results provide a theoretical basis for the application of resveratrol in diabetic cataract prevention and treatment.