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Effects of advanced glycation end products on hyaluronan photolysis: a new mechanism of diabetic vitreopathy.

Katsumura C, Sugiyama T, Nakamura K, Obayashi H, Hasegawa G, Oku H, Ikeda T

Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.

PURPOSE: To test the effects of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are increased in vitreous of diabetic patients, on photolysis of hyaluronan. METHODS: Pullulan standards were used as molecular weight (MW) markers to obtain a calibration curve. 0.02% hyaluronan solutions were divided into AGE-added and AGE-free samples; each sample was irradiated using a xenon lamp or kept in the dark. Retention time (RT) was measured for each sample using high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: RTs and logarithm of MW of pullulan standards were negatively correlated. In hyaluronan samples exposed to light, RT increased significantly for both AGE-added and AGE-free samples compared with samples kept in the dark. RT in AGE-added samples was greater by 3% than that in AGE-free samples (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to light decreases MW of hyaluronan; addition of AGEs promotes this change. The photosensitizer activity of AGEs may be associated with accelerated depolymerization of hyaluronan in diabetic patients.

Published 3 January 2005 in Ophthalmic Res, 36(6): 327-31.
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