Relationship Between Metabolism of Xylose and Cataractogenesis in the Weanling Rat

Abstract

Appearance and regression of lenticular changes in xylose-fed weanling rats occurred in the presence of a relatively constant xylose load. The cataractous changes were not dependent on the calorigenic effect of high-carbohydrate intakes in weanling animals. The lenticular changes were more severe in animals adapted to the diet in a manner that abolishes this elevation in oxygen consumption. The mechanism by which regression of the xylose-induced lenticular changes took place appears to reside in the lens itself.