The localisation of sorbitol pathway activity in the rat renal cortex and its relationship to the pathogenesis of the renal complications of diabetes mellitus.

A series of in vivo and in vitro investigations was performed to examine the localisation of sorbitol pathway activity in the rat renal cortex and to investigate the possible relation that the acculumation of sorbitol pathway intermediates in renal cortical tissue may have to the pathogenesis of renal complications in diabetes mellitus. Neither of the sorbitol pathway intermediates, sorbitol or fructose, were detected either in intact glomeruli which had been isolated from rats rendered chronically diabetic with streptozotocin, or in metabolically active glomeruli which had been incubated in vitro in high glucose media. Such data agreed with previously published observations that the enzyme aldose reductase is not present in renal glomeruli, and suggested that changes in sorbitol pathway activity cannot be directly related to the pathogenesis of diabetic glomerulosclerosis. Sorbitol was detected in low concentrations (3.1 mu-mol/g protein) in cortical tubules which had been isolated from the renal cortex of rats rendered chronically diabetic with streptozotocin. This concentration of sorbitol was higher than that in the intact renal cortex of the diabetic animal (0.3 mu-mol/g protein) or in the cortical tubules of non-diabetic animals (0.5 mu-mol/g protein). It is apparent that the renal cortical tubule is a major site of sorbitol pathway activity in the renal cortex. However, there is presently no obvious causal relationship between the accumulation of such relatively low concentrations of sorbitol in the renal cortical tubule and the pathogenesis of glomerulosclerosis or cortical tubular lesions in diabetes.