The Polyol Paradigm and Complications of Diabetes

In the last decade, it has become increasingly evident that the clini­ cal and morphologic changes underlying many of the complications of diabetes, including cataract formation, retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and macrovascular disease, are preceded by a variety of disturbances of biochemical and physiologic origin. Dr. Cohen has recently written a superb monograph, entitled Diabetes and Protein Glycosylation: Measurement and Biologic Relevance, in which she thoroughly explores how enhanced nonenzymatic glycosylation in uncontrolled diabetes underscores the pressing need for main­ tenance of long-term euglycemia. In the present volume, The Polyol Paradigm and Complications of Diabetes, she reviews, in a most succinct and thorough manner, how another biochemical mechan­ ism, involving the polyol pathway, is involved in the pathogenesis of such diabetes complications as retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropa­ thy, and cataract formation. Dr. Cohen gives us a clearly written and comprehensive mono­ graph, reviewing the chemistry of the polyol pathway and of the aldose reductase inhibitors, and the pathophysiologic significance of increased polyol pathway activity in a variety of tissues affected by Vlll Foreword diabetes mellitus. She insightfully describes the relationship of increased polyol pathway activity to altered metabolism of inositol­ containing phospholipids and to changes in various tissue concentra­ tions of myo-inositol. Finally, she provides us with a careful review of the existing experimental and clinical studies with a variety of different aldose reductase inhibitors that have been and are being performed in the hope of preventing or reversing long-term compli­ cations of diabetes.