Diabetes-Independent Retinal Phenotypes in an Aldose Reductase Transgenic Mouse Model.

ABSTRACT: Aldose reductase (AR), the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the polyol pathway, has been implicated in the onset and development of the ocular complications of diabetes, including cataracts and retinopathy. Despite decades of research conducted to address possible mechanisms, questions still persist in understanding if or how AR contributes to imbalances leading to diabetic eye disease. To address these questions, we created a strain of transgenic mice engineered for the overexpression of human AR (AR-Tg). In the course of monitoring these animals for age-related retinal phenotypes, we observed signs of Müller cell gliosis characterized by strong immunostaining for glial fibrillary acidic protein. In addition, we observed increased staining for Iba1, consistent with an increase in the num

SUBMITTER: Petrash JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8305400 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature