astaxanthine and Diabetes-Mellitus--Type-1

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of astaxanthin on metabolic cataract in rats with type 1 diabetes and its antioxidant capacity to lens.. Rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8): control group, diabetes mellitus (DM) group, low-dose astaxanthin (DM + AL) and low-dose astaxanthin (DM + AH) group. A rat model of type I diabetes mellitus was established by intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). After successful modeling, rats in the administration group were given different doses of astaxanthin (AST) for 12 weeks. The lens opacity of rats was observed by slit-lamp camera system. The double antibody sandwich method was used to detect the levels of advanced glycation end product (AGE), lipid peroxide/malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) in the lens. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to examine the morphologic changes in the lens.. The severity of cataract in the lens was obviously increased after induced by STZ, whereas it was significantly decreased after treatment with AST (p < .05, respectively). In addition, in the AST groups, the levels of AGE and MDA in the lens tissue were notably decreased when compared with those in the DM group (p < .05, respectively). However, the levels of GSH, SOD, and CAT were increased in the AST group in comparison with those in the DM group (p < .05, respectively).. Astaxanthin may play an antioxidant role in the lens. Additionally, it exerts a protective function in the lens by delaying the development and progression of metabolic cataract and inhibiting the oxidative stress of lens in diabetic rats.

Topics: Animals; Anterior Eye Segment; Antioxidants; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Cataract; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Disease Progression; Lens, Crystalline; Male; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Retina; Xanthophylls

This study was conducted to compare the protective effects of astaxanthin (ASX) with Corni Fructus (CF) against diabetes-induced pathologies such as oxidative stress-induced inflammation and advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation in the liver of type 1 diabetic rats. ASX (50 mg/kg body weight/day) or CF (200 mg/kg body weight/day) was orally administered every day for 18 days to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, and their effects were compared with nondiabetic and diabetic control rats. The administration of CF, but not ASX, decreased both the elevated serum and hepatic glucose concentration in diabetic rats. In diabetic rats, increased levels of AGE, reactive oxygen species, and lipid peroxidation were significantly decreased by treatment with both ASX and CF in the liver of diabetic rats. STZ treatment markedly augmented the protein expressions of AGE, and both ASX and CF efficiently attenuated these increases in hepatic protein expressions. In addition, oxidative stress and proinflammatory protein expressions were upregulated in the diabetic rats. On the contrary, these upregulations of protein expressions were decreased by the administration of ASX or CF. These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of ASX on diabetes-induced hepatic dysfunction could be derived from the blocking of AGE formation and further anti-inflammation and that CF exhibited beneficial effects through the attenuation of hyperglycemia, and thus the inhibition of AGE formation and the inflammatory responses. Therefore, ASX as well as CF may help prevent ongoing diabetes-induced hepatic injury.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antioxidants; Cornus; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Fruit; Glycation End Products, Advanced; Hyperglycemia; Inflammation; Lipid Peroxidation; Liver; Male; Oxidative Stress; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Rats, Wistar; Xanthophylls