Comparison of retinal lesions in alloxan-diabetic rats and galactose-fed rats

Galactose-fed rats develop a retinal microvascular disease, but retinopathy has not been found to develop reproducibly in diabetic rats. We sought to determine which retinal lesions can be reproducibly produced by long-term diabetes in rats, the extent to which the capillary lesions in diabetic rats and galactosemic rats are similar, and whether the retinopathy induced by 50% galactose can be reproduced satisfactorily by a lower concentration of galactose. Alloxan-diabetic rats and rats fed either a 50% galactose diet or a 30% galactose diet were killed after comparable durations of study (18 to 22 months). Rats fed 50% galactose showed greater than normal frequency of retinal pericyte ghosts and acellular capillaries, and thickening of capillary basement membranes by 18 months of galactosemia. Rats eating 30% galactose developed similar retinal lesions, and tended to be healthier than rats fed 50% galactose. Diabetes of 1 1/4 years or more likewise resulted in retinal pericyte ghosts, acellular capillaries and thickened capillary basement membrane. IRMAs and other vascular abnormalities were not reproducibly demonstrated at this duration of study, and saccular microaneurysms were not seen in any groups. In a number of diabetic rats, the severity of diabetes diminished spontaneously (after 1 to 1 1/2 years of insulin deficiency), thus making it essential that glycemia be systematically monitored. Both diabetic rats and experimentally galactosemic rats develop microvascular lesions that are consistent with at least the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, and these models should be useful to screen potential therapies for their ability to inhibit the development of retinopathy.