虽然使用胰岛素可延长糖尿病患者的生命,但不能预防糖尿病并发症的发生。糖尿病并发症,如白内障,视网膜病变,角膜上皮病变、神经病变和微血管病变等已证明与醛糖还原酶有关。醛糖还原酶和山梨醇脱氢酶一起构成了多元醇途径,在此途径中,第一步醛糖还原酶利用辅因子NADPH使葡萄糖还原成山梨醇;第二步山梨醇脱氢酶利用NAD~+使山梨醇氧化成果糖。 (?) 多元醇途径和醛糖还原酶最初在精囊内发现,目前已发现它存在于多种与糖尿病有关的组织。研究表明,由于醛糖还原酶活性 Although the use of insulin can prolong the life of diabetic patients, but can not prevent the occurrence of diabetic complications. Diabetic complications such as cataracts, retinopathy, corneal epithelial lesions, neuropathy and microvascular disease have been shown to be associated with aldose reductase. Aldose reductase together with sorbitol dehydrogenase form the polyol pathway, in which the first step of aldose reductase utilizes the cofactor NADPH to reduce glucose to sorbitol. The second step is the sorbitol dehydrogenase using NAD ~ + Sorbitol is oxidized to fructose. (?) The polyol pathway and aldose reductase were initially found in the seminal vesicle and it has been found that it is present in a variety of tissues associated with diabetes. Studies have shown that due to aldose reductase activity