Immunocytochemical studies on the renl fate of circulating advanced glycated products
A growing body of evidence points to a causal relationship between advanced glycation end products (AGE) accumulation in tissues and the development of chronic diabetic complications. Particularly impressive are data showing a dramatic increase in the levels of circulating AGE peptides in diabetic end stage renal disease that correlates with the severity of the nephropathy. We have recently shown that AGE-BSA probes tagged with colloidal gold display great reactivity towards glomerular structures. In the same way, a recent study has shown that chronic injection of AGEBSA but not BSA produces the classical picture of diabetic glomerulopathy in otherwise euglycemic animals. It is apparent from these and other studies that small metabolic fragments of AGE proteins are implicated in these phenomena. It is certain that the kidneys play an important role in the clearance of circulating AGE products from the bloodstream. However, so far little is known about the fate of AGE proteins and AGE peptides in renal tissue.