Aldose reductase and retinal capillary basement membrane thickening

Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were given a 50% galactose diet with or without an aldose reductase inhibitor (0.04% tolrestat, Ayerst) for 88 weeks. Quantitative computer planimetry on electron micrographs of perpendicularly transected retinal capillaries showed mean basement membrane thicknesses to be 263 +/- 50 nm in galactose-fed rats, 153 +/- 10 nm in galactose-fed rats given tolrestat, and 114 +/- 16 nm in rats given control feed. The retinal capillary basement membrane thickening in galactose-fed rats was accompanied by other ultrastructural alterations mimicking changes observed in diabetic microangiopathy, such as multi-lamination and the formation of vacuoles and dense inclusions. The results extended previously reported (44-week) findings, showed greater galactose-induced changes in capillary basement membranes, and demonstrated the preventative effect of an aldose reductase inhibitor.