Cysteamine induces cataracts in newborn rats.

Daily subcutaneous injections of cysteamine (CSH) administered to neonatal rats for 6 to 11 days cause dense bilateral cataracts that are evident at eye opening and that are permanent. CSH has been previously shown to induce protein cross-linking by the formation of abnormal disulfide bonds. It is hypothesized that the same mechanism underlies its cataractogenic effect; as such, CSH may be a useful agent in the study of models of senile cataract formation in humans.