Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is thought to be the most common disease resulting from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutations, and transmitochondrial cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) cell lines are the most frequently used model for understanding the pathogenesis of mitochondrial disorders. We have used oligonucleotide microarrays and a novel study design based on shared transcripts t...

Aldehyde reductase [EC 1.1.1.2] and aldose reductase [EC 1.1.1.21] are monomeric NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases having wide substrate specificities for carbonyl compounds. These enzymes are implicated in the development of diabetic complications by catalyzing the reduction of glucose to sorbitol. Enzyme inhibition as a direct pharmacokinetic approach to the prevention of diabetic complications...

The three-dimensional structures of aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase, members of the aldo-keto reductase superfamily, are composed of similar alpha/beta TIM-barrels. However, examination of the structures reveals that the inhibitor-binding site of aldose reductase differs from that of aldehyde reductase due to the participation of non-conserved residues in its formation. This information...

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)) is a cofactor for aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and nitric oxide synthase. The biosynthesis includes two reduction steps catalyzed by sepiapterin reductase. An intermediate, 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin (PPH(4)) is reduced to 1(')-oxo-2(')-hydroxypropyl-tetrahydropterin (1(')-OXPH(4)) or 1(')-hydroxy-2(')-oxopropyl-tetrahydropterin (2(')-OXPH(4)), which is further c...

Naturally occurring coumarin compounds have received substantial attention due to their pharmaceutical effects. Esculetin is a coumarin derivative and a polyphenol compound that is used in a variety of therapeutic and pharmacological strategies. However, its effect on aldose reductase activity remains poorly understood. In this study, the potential beneficialeffects of esculetin on lenticular a...

Aldose reductase (EC 1.1.1.21) catalyzes the conversion of glucose to sorbitol and promotes the accumulation of sorbitol in various tissues under the condition of hyperglycemia such as diabetes mellitus. The accumulated intracellular sorbitol causes development of diabetic complications such as cataracts, neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy1). Inhibitors of aldose reductase have been shown ...

Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) has been linked to the development of secondary diabetes complications. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We examined the contribution of aldose reductase, which catalyzes the first, and the rate-limiting, step of the polyol pathway of glucose metabolism, to PKC activation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) isolated from rat a...

Aldose reductase is a rate limiting enzyme in the polyol pathway associated with the conversion of glucose to sorbitol. The enzyme is located in the eye (cornea, retina, lens), kidney, myelin sheath, and also in other tissues less involved in diabetic complications. Experiments in diabetic animals have implicated sorbitol accumulation in the lens to the development of cataracts. The use of inhi...

Based on overlapping structural requirements for both efficient aldose reductase inhibitors and PPAR ligands, [5-(benzyloxy)-1H-indol-1-yl]acetic acid (compound 1) was assessed for inhibition of aldose reductase and ability to interfere with PPARγ. Aldose reductase inhibition by 1 was characterized by IC50 in submicromolar and low micromolar range, for rat and human enzyme, respectively. Select...

The proteomic approach is a valuable tool to detect and identify proteins that are associated with cancer. In previous investigations on experimentally induced rat hepatomas, we detected aldose reductase-like protein (ARLP) as a highly significant marker protein. Our present study was intended to look for the presence of similar tumor-associated marker proteins on human hepatocellular carcinoma...