title: Understanding the role of aldose reductase in ocular inflammation.
abstract: Aldose reductase, although identified initially as a glucose-reducing enzyme via polyol pathway, is believed to be an important component of antioxidant defense system as well as a key mediator of oxidative stress-induced molecular signaling. The dual role played by AR has made it a very important enzyme for the regulation of not only the cellular redox state by detoxifying the reactive lipid-aldehydes generated by lipid peroxidation which is crucial in the cellular homeostasis, but also in the regulation of molecular signaling cascade that may regulate oxidative stress-induced cytotoxic events. Search for the new molecular targets to restrain the oxidative stress-induced inflammation has resulted in the identification of AR as an unanticipated mediator of oxidative stress-induced signaling. Although, in last one decade or so AR has been implicated in various inflammation-related diseases conditions ranging from diabetes, sepsis, cancer, cardiovascular and ocular inflammation, however, a critical evaluation of the clinical efficacy of AR inhibitors awaits a better understanding of the role of AR in regulating inflammation, especially in ocular inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA. kvramana@utmb.edu.
authors.forename: U C S
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Ramana
mesh_terms: D000449:Aldehyde Reductase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D005123:Eye / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014605:Uveitis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016328:NF-kappa B; D000449:Aldehyde Reductase