Figure 1.

Retinal sphingolipid levels are enhanced by consumption of a Western diet before the onset of hyperglycemia. C57BL/6 mice were fed either a Western diet (WD) or control diet (CD) for up to 18 wk before retinal harvest. A) Body weight was monitored at the time points indicated. B, C) Fasting blood glucose (B) and retinal sphingolipid content (C) were assessed after 18 wk of consuming the diets. Total retinal content for each sphingolipid subclass was normalized to retinal weight and is expressed as a percentage of the mean value observed in the retina of control chow fed mice. Results are means ± sem (n = 5). *P < 0.05, ***P < 0.01 vs. control diet.