Figure 1. Increased mtDNA damage compared to nDNA in aged rat lens. Long fragments of mtDNA (13.4 kb) and nDNA (12.5 kb) from lens were measured. These data were normalized by the measured levels of the short fragment of mtDNA and nDNA obtained using the same DNA sample. A: there was a significant decrease in mtDNA amplification at 16 months (p=0.03, n=8) and at 26 months (p<0.01, n=8), compared with the 2 month group. There was a significantly increase at 26 months compared to 16 months group (p<0.01, n=8). B: there was no significant change in the relative amplification of nDNA at 16 months (p=0.149, n=8) and 26 months (p=0.06, n=8), compared with 2 month group. There was not a significantly change at 26 months (p=0.606, n=8) compared to 16 months group.