title: Aldose reductase and retinal capillary basement membrane thickening.
abstract: Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were given a 50% galactose diet with or without an aldose reductase inhibitor (0.04% tolrestat, Ayerst) for 88 weeks. Quantitative computer planimetry on electron micrographs of perpendicularly transected retinal capillaries showed mean basement membrane thicknesses to be 263 +/- 50 nm in galactose-fed rats, 153 +/- 10 nm in galactose-fed rats given tolrestat, and 114 +/- 16 nm in rats given control feed. The retinal capillary basement membrane thickening in galactose-fed rats was accompanied by other ultrastructural alterations mimicking changes observed in diabetic microangiopathy, such as multi-lamination and the formation of vacuoles and dense inclusions. The results extended previously reported (44-week) findings, showed greater galactose-induced changes in capillary basement membranes, and demonstrated the preventative effect of an aldose reductase inhibitor.
mesh_terms: D000449:Aldehyde Reductase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000818:Animals; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002196:Capillaries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000201:enzymology; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005690:Galactose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013401:Sugar Alcohol Dehydrogenases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D009281:Naphthalenes; C040550:tolrestat; D013401:Sugar Alcohol Dehydrogenases; D000449:Aldehyde Reductase; D005690:Galactose