title: Captopril inhibits capillary degeneration in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to examine the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on the development of early stages of diabetic retinopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were made diabetic by injection of streptozotocin and treated with the ACE inhibitor captopril and the AT1 antagonist losartan. The extent of capillary degeneration and leukostasis in the retina were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acellular capillaries and pericyte ghosts in the retina of diabetic animals were increased by approximately two-fold after 8 months of diabetes compared with the nondiabetic control, and captopril completely inhibited this capillary degeneration. Captopril and losartan also inhibited hyperglycemia-induced leukostasis at 6 weeks and 1 week in the retinal vasculature, respectively. In cultured retinal endothelial cells, angiotensin II-induced VCAM-1 expression was inhibited by losartan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system can block retinal capillary degeneration and inflammation in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. jinzhong_zhang@bausch.com
authors.forename: Jin-Zhong
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Timothy S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kern
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000494:pharmacology; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight; D002196:Capillaries / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D002216:Captopril / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000473:pathology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000150:complications; D018921:Leukostasis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019808:Losartan / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D001786:Blood Glucose; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D000804:Angiotensin II; D002216:Captopril; D019808:Losartan