Decreased utilization of [2-3H]glycerol in phospholipid and neutral glyceride biosynthesis in the retina of streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

The effect of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes on lipid uptake was studied in the rat retina. The intravitreal incorporation of [2-3H]glycerol was followed in retinal lipids from the first day of diabetes (acute state) up to 20 wk (chronic state). Total lipid incorporation decreased 50% 2 d after injection of STZ; the labeling remained lower than the control values throughout the 20 wk period studied. In the chronic state of diabetes, the time-course of the incorporation of [2-3H]glycerol during the first 2 h after its injection displayed a pattern of incorporation similar to that of the controls. The possibility that the decreased utilization of [2-3H]glycerol in the lipid pathway results from a competition between the injected [3H]glycerol and the glycolytic pathway during diabetes in rat retina in vivo is discussed.