PURPOSE Recent studies have indicated that certain aldose reductase inhibitors prevent the formation of cataracts in naphthalene-fed rats. The study was designed to investigate whether aldose reductase itself is involved in the metabolism of naphthalene in the lens and the mechanism of this cataract formation. METHODS Aldose reductase was purified from whole rat lens using a series of chromat...

Aldose reductase (alditol:NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.21), an enzyme that converts glucose to sorbitol, the first step of the polyol pathway, has been implicated in secondary complications of diabetes, such as cataracts, retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy. Aldose reductase inhibitors have been observed to prevent or delay the onset of these complications; however, more potent and speci...

The susceptibility of human lens aldose reductase (HLAR), human placental aldose reductase (HPAR), and rat lens aldose reductase (RLAR) to inhibition by 10 structurally diverse inhibitors is compared. Significant differences in the susceptibility of these enzymes was observed; however, no trends could be predicted. In general, HPAR appeared to be less susceptible to inhibition than either HLAR ...

Capillary basement membrane thickening is typical of the diabetic retina, and aldose reductase appears to be involved since a diabetic-like thickening can be induced by galactose feeding and prevented with aldose reductase inhibitors. Because aldose reductase is present in the Mueller's cells, studies were undertaken to determine if thickening of the retinal inner limiting membrane, which is th...

Activation of the polyol pathway has been linked to the development of secondary diabetic complications. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. To probe the contribution of this pathway, we examined whether inhibition of aldose reductase, which catalyzes the first step of the pathway, affects hyperglycemia-induced activation of the inflammatory transcription factor nuclear...

A series of 5-substituted-1,3-dioxo-1H-benz[de]isoquinoline-2(3H)-acetic acid analogues have been examined as irreversible inhibitors of aldose reductase. The 5-alpha-bromoacetamide and 5-alpha-iodoacetamide analogues 5 and 6 gave irreversible inhibition of aldose reductase while the 5-alpha-chloroacetamide analogue 3 did not show this type of inhibition. Protection studies indicate that irreve...

Aldose reductase has been implicated in the etiology of diabetic complications. A variety of compounds have been observed to inhibit aldose reductase and effective, orally active inhibitors of the enzyme have been investigated for many years. Although several of these compounds have progressed to the clinical level, only one such drug is currently on the market. Due to the limited number of ava...

Aldose reductase was purified from human skeletal and heart muscle by a rapid and efficient scheme involving Red Sepharose chromatography, chromatofocusing on Pharmacia PBE 94, and hydroxylapatite high pressure liquid chromatography. The scheme afforded homogeneous enzyme, 65% recovery, in 2 days. All muscle samples express aldose reductase but not the closely related aldehyde reductase. Aldose...

Aldose reductase, a member of the aldo-keto reductase family, has been implicated in the development of vascular and neurological complications in diabetes. Despite recent studies from our laboratory demonstrating protection of ischemic hearts by an aldose reductase inhibitor, the presence and influence of aldose reductase in cardiac tissue remain unknown. Our goal in this study was to isolate ...

Naphthalene feeding can result in cataract formation in rats and rabbits due to specific metabolites of naphthalene. The concomitant administration of the aldose reductase inhibitor Al1576 to naphthalene-fed rats was proven to prevent cataract formation. To determine whether this effect was directly linked to the ability of Al1576 to inhibit enzyme aldose reductase, a variety of structurally di...