Diabetes complications and their potential prevention: Aldose reductase inhibition and other approaches

Despite recent advances both in the chemistry and molecular pharmacology of antidiabetic drugs, diabetes still remains a life-threatening disease, whi ch tends to spread all over the world. The clinical profile of diabetic sub jects is often worsened by the presence of several long-term complications, namely neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, and cataract. Several attempt s have been made to prevent or at least to delay them. The most relevant ar e reported in this review, including the development of compounds acting as aldose reductase inhibitors, antiadvanced glycation end-product drugs, fre e radical scavengers, vasoactive agents, essential fatty acid supplementati on, and neurotropic growth factors. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Med Re s Rev, 19, No. 1, 3-23, 1999.