Anterior lens capsule (ALC)

The anterior lens capsule is the thickest basement membrane in the human body, serving as the protective, elastic envelope for the anterior portion of the crystalline lens in the eye [9, 13]. Composed primarily of Type IV collagen and laminin, it is secreted by the underlying monolayer of lens epithelial cells (LECs) and plays a vital role in maintaining lens transparency and facilitating the shape changes necessary for visual accommodation [13, 14]. While not a molecular target in the traditional sense (such as a receptor or enzyme), the anterior capsule is an essential anatomical target in ophthalmology, particularly during cataract surgery where a continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) is performed to access the lens [7, 15]. Pathological alterations in the capsule’s structure and proteomic profile are associated with various diseases, including age-related and steroid-induced cataracts, pseudoexfoliation syndrome, and Alport syndrome [5, 8, 14, 16]. Recent research has focused on the capsule's role as a scaffold for drug delivery and cell transplantation, as well as its unique transcriptomic environment which provides insights into the molecular drivers of glaucoma and lens opacification [2, 3, 9]. Drugs such as vital dyes (e.g., trypan blue) are used to target the capsule for surgical visualization, while glucocorticoids can inadvertently target the associated epithelial cells to induce capsular changes and subsequent vision loss [5, 13].

Other names

Anterior capsule of the crystalline lensAnterior lens capsuleAnterior capsule of the shoulderAnterior hip capsuleCapsula anterior lentis

Vital dye staining facilitates surgical visualization during capsulorhexis; glucocorticoids modulate miRNA expression and signaling pathways (e.g., TGF-beta, Wnt) in associated lens epithelial cells, leading to capsule fibrosis and opacification.