Capillary basement membrane in retina, kidney, and muscle of diabetic dogs and galactosemic dogs and its response to 5 years aldose reductase inhibition.

Capillary basement membrane thickening has been compared in retina, renal glomerulus, and leg muscle of dogs alloxan-diabetic 5 years and dogs experimentally galactosemic 5 years, and the effects of inhibition of aldose reductase have been examined. Basement membrane in each site became thickened as a result of either galactosemia or diabetes, but showed appreciable variation among the sites. The thickening of basement membrane in retina and muscle of galactosemic animals was similar in quantity and appearance to that seen in the diabetics, notwithstanding large differences between the two animal models with respect to tissue polyol concentrations and nonenzymatic glycation of hemoglobin and plasma protein. Aldose reductase inhibition was without influence on capillary basement membrane thickening in each tissue from dogs diabetic or galactosemic 5 years, despite substantial polyol path inhibition.