title: Role of advanced glycation end-products (AGE) in late diabetic complications.
abstract: To evaluate accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGE) in diabetes and its possible correlation with late diabetic complications, AGE levels were measured by spectrofluorimetry in eye lens and sciatic nerve proteins and isolated tail tendon collagen of rats with experimental diabetes of 3- and 6-month duration. The values obtained were compared to those from age-matched control rats and correlated with cataract presence and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) alterations. Diabetic animals had increased AGE levels in all tissues at both times; cataract developed in 29% of diabetic rats at 3 months and in 57% at 6 months; SEP conduction velocity was reduced in diabetic animals both at 3 (54.5 +/- 1.8 S.E.M. m/s vs. 73.9 +/- 1.0, P < 0.0001) and 6 months (59.5 +/- 1.4 vs. 71.5 +/- 1.6, P < 0.0001) from diabetes induction. No eye lens AGE level differences were observed when cataract presence was considered. Interestingly, in diabetic rats, increased sciatic nerve AGE levels were associated with reduced SEP. These data show that: (1) AGE levels are increased as early as 3 months from development of hyperglycemia; (2) other factors, in addition to an enhanced rate of fluorescent AGE formation, might play important roles in the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract; (3) increased peripheral nerve AGE levels are associated with SEP alterations.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Medicina Costituzionale ed Endocrinologia I, Universita' di Roma La Sapienza, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sensi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pricci
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pugliese
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: De Rossi
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Petrucci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cristina
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morano
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pozzessere
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andreani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002386:Cataract / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D003459:Crystallins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000378:metabolism; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013710:Tendons / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D003459:Crystallins; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D003094:Collagen