Aldose reductase inhibitor



Aldose reductase inhibitors are a class of drugs being studied as a way to prevent eye and nerve damage in people with diabetes.

Mechanism

Their target, aldose reductase, is an insulin sensitive, which includes the lenses, peripheral nerve and glomerulus. Sorbitol does not diffuse through cell membranes easily and therefore accumulates, causing osmotic damage which leads to retinopathy and neuropathy.

Examples

Examples of aldose reductase inhibitors include:

Diabetic cataract

Diabetic cataract formation follows an increase in sugars in the lens. The excess sugar within the lens is reduced by aldose reductase to its alcohol, but the lens capsule is relatively impermeable to sugar alcohols. Because of the excess sugar alcohol (polyol), the lens imbibes water, causing osmotic imbalance. Eventually, increased glutathione levels lead to cataract formation. Topical administration of aldose reductase inhibitors have been shown to prevent the cataract in rats.[2]

References

  1. ^ Várkonyi T, Kempler P (2007). "Diabetic neuropathy: new strategies for treatment". doi:10.1111/j.1463-1326.2007.00741.x. PMID 17593238.
  2. ^ Newell, FW. Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts, Fifth Edition. London: The CV Mosby Company, 1982, p. 332.
 
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