부산대학교 도서관

PURPOSE. Sugars in the aqueous humour of the eyeserve both as a source of nutrients to the lens and other anterior oculartissues, and potentially as an indicator of waste products from these tissues.In this work we intended to measure the levels of sugars in human blood andaqueous humour from cataract patients with and without diabetes. After initialresults we decided to identify an unknown sugar component. METHODS. Sugars were measured by hplc. The unknown sugar peak was identifiedby gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. RESULTS. Very little fructose and sorbitol were found. Glucose levels werehigher in both blood and aqueous from diabetic patients. During these analyseswe found a major component that did not correspond to any sugar reported previouslyin aqueous humour. This was identified as a mixture of threonic and erythronicacids. CONCLUSIONS. Glucose levels increase in human aqueous humour in diabeteswithout markedly raised levels of sorbitol or fructose. Erythronic and threonicacids are normal components of aqueous humour and blood. They may be derivedfrom glycated proteins or from degradation of ascorbic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]