Protective effect of vitamin C on oxidative stress and DNA damage in rats with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease of endocrine origin, which main biochemical characteristic is chronic hyperglycemia. The aim of this study was to measure the protective effect of vitamin C (VitC) on oxidative stress in Sprague-Dawley rats with DM induced by Streptozotocin (STZ). We used 16 rats (100 ± 20g), divided into 4 groups: 1) control, 2) STZ (diabetics), 3) VitC + STZ, 4) VitC. In liver homogenate, the concentration of malondiahaldehido, conjugated dienes, and total proteins were determined, as well as the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase. The ADN damage was measured by comet assay. The results were statistically analyzed using SPSS software version 17.0 for Windows. An Anova test and a multiple DMS comparison (p<0.05) were applied. In the group of animals treated with VitC a decrease in glucose levels was evidenced, as well as in the generation of oxidative stress. Less ADN damage induced by free radicals was also determined. It can be infered that VitC is an effective antioxidant and is a liver protector against to the permanent production of free radicals by diverse sources and that it is also effective in the repair and conservation of ADN.