Abstract
The role of vitamin C on diabetes mellitus is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of oral administration of vitamin C on some of the metabolic parameters of diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ (60 mg kgˉ1 body weight at 12 weeks of age). Vitamin C (10, 50, 100 mg kgˉ1 body weight) was administered orally for a period of four weeks to normal and diabetic male Wistar rats. In some experiments vitamin C was given either before or after the induction of diabetes mellitus. Glucose tolerance test (GTT) was performed on fasted normal, diabetic and vitamin C-treated rats at the end of the experimental period. Blood sugar level and weight were also recorded on a weekly basis for each rat in different groups. Vitamin C significantly (p<0.05) reduced blood glucose level and decreased weight gain in experimental diabetes mellitus at all doses when compared to untreated rats. This beneficial effect of vitamin C on the hyperglycemia of diabetic rats was dose-dependent. Moreover, vitamin C also improved GTT in diabetic rats compared to untreated diabetic rats. In conclusion, vitamin C may play a role in insulin metabolism and thus be a useful adjuvant therapy in diabetes mellitus.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently taking its place as one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century
The present study showed that the administration of vitamin C has an inverse correlation with body weight gain in rats treated 10 days before the onset of diabetes
High dose decreased body weight gain in rats treated 10 days after onset of DM. This observation suggested that only the low dose of vitamin C has a beneficial effect on diabetes and the moderate and high doses had an adverse effect on body weight gain especially after the onset of diabetes
Summary
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently taking its place as one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century. In the past two decades the number of people with diabetes has increased worldwide. DM affects approximately 6% of the world population[1]. It is one of the most prevalent (the estimated lifetime risk of developing diabetes for individuals born in 2000 is 32.8% for males and 38.5% for females) and costly chronic diseases, which significantly reduces life expectancy[2,3]. In the year 2000, the total number of people with DM was 151 million and the number is projected to increase by 46% to reach 221 million by the year 2010 and 300 million in 2025[4]. DM is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by high blood glucose level[5]
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