A new advanced glycation inhibitor LR-90 prevents experimental diabetic retinopathy in rats
- Ashay D Bhatwadekar (abhatwadekar01{at}qub.ac.uk),
- Josephine V Glenn (j.v.glenn{at}qub.ac.uk),
- James L Figarola (jlfigarola{at}coh.org),
- Stephen Scott (sscott{at}coh.org),
- Tom A Gardiner (t.gardiner{at}qub.ac.uk),
- Samuel Rahbar (srahbar{at}coh.org),
- Alan W Stitt (a.stitt{at}qub.ac.uk)
- Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom
- Queen' S University Belfast, United Kingdom
- City of Hope National Medical Centre, United States
- City of Hope National Medical Centre, United States
- Queens University-Belfast, United Kingdom
- City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute,, United States
- The Queen's University of Belfast, United Kingdom
- Published Online First 22 January 2008
Abstract
Background/Aims: Diabetic retinopathy is associated with accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the retinal microvasculature. LR-90 is an effective multistage inhibitor of advanced glycation with renoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study we have explored the role of LR-90 in the progression of experimental diabetic retinopathy.
Methods: Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with LR-90 (50mg/l in drinking water) for up to 32 weeks. At the end of the study eyes were enucleated and subjected to trypsin digestion and staining with light green-haematoxylin. Acellular capillaries and number of pericytes were quantified in random fields using light microscopy.
Results: In the LR-90 treated diabetic animals, acellular capillary numbers were reduced to 1.63 ± 0.20 from 2.58 ± 0.49 (p<0.05) in diabetic controls. Also, LR-90 treatment significantly restored pericyte deficit from 18.12 ± 0.98 in diabetic rats to 24.19 ± 0.76 (p<0.001) in the LR-90 treated group. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that LR-90 can effectively inhibit important lesions of diabetic retinopathy. This agent has potential for preventing retinopathy in diabetic patients.









