Key result
Aldose reductase inhibition reduces atherosclerotic lesion size in diabetic mouse models.
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OBJECTIVE: There are several pathways that mediate the aberrant metabolism of glucose and that might induce greater vascular damage in the setting of diabetes. The polyol pathway mediated by aldose reductase (AR) has been postulated to be one such pathway. However, it has been reported that AR reduces toxic lipid aldehydes and, under some circumstances, might be antiatherogenic. METHODS AND RESULTS: Atherosclerosis development was quantified in 2 lines of transgenic mice expressing human AR (hAR) crossed on the apolipoprotein E knockout background. The transgenes were used to increase the normally low levels of this enzyme in wild-type mice. Both generalized hAR overexpression and hAR expression via the Tie 2 promoter increased lesion size in streptozotocin diabetic mice. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of AR reduced lesion size. CONCLUSIONS: Although in some settings AR expression might reduce levels of toxic aldehydes, transgenic expression of this enzyme within the artery wall leads to greater atherosclerosis.
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Vedantham et al. (2011) studied Atherosclerosis in diabetes. Transgenic human aldose reductase (hAR) expression (generalized and via Tie 2 promoter) and pharmacological AR inhibition vs. Apolipoprotein E knockout mice without hAR transgene / without AR inhibition was evaluated on Atherosclerotic lesion size. Transgenic human aldose reductase expression in 2 mouse lines increased atherosclerotic lesion size in diabetic apolipoprotein E-/- mice, whereas pharmacological inhibition reduced lesion size.
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