Suppression of sodium-dependent glucose uptake by captopril improves high-glucose-induced morphological and functional changes of cultured bovine retinal pericytes

The effects of captopril on glucose uptake, as well as morphological and fu nctional changes of retinal pericytes, in a high-glucose medium were examin ed. Retinal pericytes were incubated in medium with 5 and 30 mM glucose and 30 mM glucose with 10(-6) to 10(-3) M captopril. Captopril decreased the c ellular uptakes of D-glucose and cc-methyl glucoside in the presence, but n ot in the absence, of sodium. The cellular size and contents of glucose, so rbitol, and fructose were increased in 30 mM glucose concomitant with the d ecreased thymidine, cellular DNA content, and ratios in glucose to sorbitol and to fructose, compared with those in 5 mM glucose. These changes observ ed in 30 mM glucose were reversed by 10(-4) M captopril. These data suggest that the suppression of D-glucose uptake through a sodium-coupled glucose transporter by captopril may attenuate the swelling and loss of pericytes o bserved in the early stage of diabetic retinopathy. (C) 1999 Academic Press .