Fullerenol Eye Drops Mitigate UVB-Induced Cataract Progression by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Cellular Senescence

Zhang, Lele; Chen, Shuying; Yu, Zihao; Su, Yuting; Zhao, Jingyu; Hu, Lanlan; Tang, Jinglong; Zhang, Mingliang

doi:10.3390/antiox15010118

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Fullerenol Eye Drops Mitigate UVB-Induced Cataract Progression by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Cellular Senescence

by

Lele Zhang

^1,†,

Shuying Chen

^2,†,

Zihao Yu

¹,

Yuting Su

¹,

Jingyu Zhao

¹,

Lanlan Hu

¹,

Jinglong Tang

^3,*

and

Mingliang Zhang

^1,*

¹

Tianjin Key Laboratory of Retinal Functions and Diseases, Tianjin Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Disease, Eye Institute and School of Optometry, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin 300384, China

²

Department of Ophthalmology, Shaoxing People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University, Shaoxing 312000, China

³

Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Antioxidants 2026, 15(1), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15010118

Submission received: 26 November 2025 / Revised: 8 January 2026 / Accepted: 13 January 2026 / Published: 16 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants and Retinal Diseases—2nd Edition)

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Abstract

Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and surgery is currently the only effective clinical treatment, as no pharmacological therapy has yet been validated. Here, we explore Fullerenol, a hydroxylated fullerene derivative formulated as eye drops, as a potential nanomedicine for delaying cataract onset and progression. In UVB-induced mouse cataract models, topical Fullerenol preserved the lens transparency and histological structure. In human lens epithelial cells, Fullerenol reduced the oxidative stress, restored the mitochondrial function, alleviated the DNA damage, and suppressed the cellular senescence. RNA sequencing and pathway enrichment analyses further indicated that Fullerenol modulated the oxidative stress- and senescence-associated signaling pathways, including MAPK and TGF-β cascades, while downregulating the p53–CDKN1A (p21) axis. These findings provide new evidence that Fullerenol can mitigate photo-oxidative damage and age-related cellular dysfunction, highlighting its promise as a non-invasive and clinically translatable nanomedicine strategy for cataract management.

Keywords: cataracts; UVB; Fullerenol; antioxidant; senescence; oxidative stress; P53; CDKN1A

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, L.; Chen, S.; Yu, Z.; Su, Y.; Zhao, J.; Hu, L.; Tang, J.; Zhang, M. Fullerenol Eye Drops Mitigate UVB-Induced Cataract Progression by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Cellular Senescence. Antioxidants 2026, 15, 118. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15010118

AMA Style

Zhang L, Chen S, Yu Z, Su Y, Zhao J, Hu L, Tang J, Zhang M. Fullerenol Eye Drops Mitigate UVB-Induced Cataract Progression by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Cellular Senescence. Antioxidants. 2026; 15(1):118. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15010118

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Lele, Shuying Chen, Zihao Yu, Yuting Su, Jingyu Zhao, Lanlan Hu, Jinglong Tang, and Mingliang Zhang. 2026. "Fullerenol Eye Drops Mitigate UVB-Induced Cataract Progression by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Cellular Senescence" Antioxidants 15, no. 1: 118. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15010118

APA Style

Zhang, L., Chen, S., Yu, Z., Su, Y., Zhao, J., Hu, L., Tang, J., & Zhang, M. (2026). Fullerenol Eye Drops Mitigate UVB-Induced Cataract Progression by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Cellular Senescence. Antioxidants, 15(1), 118. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15010118

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Fullerenol Eye Drops Mitigate UVB-Induced Cataract Progression by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Cellular Senescence

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