Suppression of pentosidine formation in galactosemic rat lens by an inhibitor of aldose reductase.

Recent work from our laboratory revealed a correlation between the degree of protein pigmentation in human cataractous lens and the advanced Maillard reaction as reflected by pentosidine formation. Although the data suggested a role for ascorbate in pentosidine formation in senile cataractous lenses, elevated pentosidine levels in diabetic cataracts suggested that glucosylation may be involved directly in pentosidine biosynthesis. To clarify this issue, we quantified pentosidine in lenses from rats with experimental galactosemia with and without aldose reductase inhibitor treatment. At 12 months, pentosidine-like fluorescence (335/385 nm) was three to six times higher (P < 0.0001) in water soluble and insoluble crystallins of galactosemic compared with nongalactosemic rats. Actual pentosidine levels increased shortly after onset of galactosemia. Contents in water-insoluble crystallins were 6.32 +/- 2.2 and 1.40 +/- 0.66 pmol/mg protein in galactosemic and control lenses, respectively (P < 0.001). Fluorescence and pentosidine were suppressed to almost control levels upon treatment with sorbinil. Incubation experiments showed that pentosidine could form slowly from galactose, but much more rapidly from ascorbate and its oxidation products. Its formation could be inhibited partly by both reduced and oxidized glutathione or epsilon-aminocaproic acid. The requirement of oxygen for pentosidine formation suggests that oxidative stress associated with glutathione depletion and ascorbate oxidation are plausible mechanisms for rapid pentosidine formation upon onset of galactosemia. In contrast, Maillard reaction by glycoxidation products may account for the sustained increase in pentosidine. Both these events may be linked to the newly recognized pseudohypoxic state of cells exposed to high sugar concentrations.