Does ascorbic acid promote neuroprotection in diabetic rats?

The disease diabetes mellitus is characterized by abnormally high plasma glucose concentrations. Chronic hyperglycemia and the associated metabolic abnormalities are responsible for many disease complications, including damage to the blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nervous system. A research team led by Professor Zanoni from the State University of Maringá in Brasil investigate he effect of ascorbic acid (AA) dietary supplementation on myenteric neurons and epithelial cell proliferation of the jejunum of adult rats with chronic diabetes mellitus. This will be published on November 14, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

In their experiment, 30 rats at 90 day of age were divided into three groups: Non-diabetic, diabetic and diabetic treated with AA (DA) (1 g/L). After 120 day of treatment with AA the animals were killed. The myenteric neurons were stained for myosin-V and analyzed quantitatively in an area of 11.2 mm2/animal. They further measured the cellular area of 500 neurons per group. They also determined the metaphasic index (MI) of the jejunum mucosa layer of about 2500 cells in the intestinal crypts, as well as the dimensions of 30 villi and 30 crypts/animal. The data area was analyzed using the Olympus BX40 microscope.

They found that an increase of 14% in the neuronal density (792.6 ± 46.52 vs 680.6 ± 30.27) and 4.4% in the cellular area (303.4 ± 5.19 vs 291.1± 6.0) respectively of the diabetic group treated with AA when compared to control diabetic animals. There were no significant differences in MI parameters, villi height or crypt depths among the groups.

They concluded that supplementation with AA in the diabetic animal promoted moderate neuroprotection. There was no observation of alteration of the cellular proliferation of the jejunum mucosa layer of rats with chronic diabetes mellitus with or without supplementation with AA.

Reference: De Freitas P, Natali MRM, Pereira RVF, Miranda Neto MH, Zanoni JN. Myenteric neurons and intestinal mucosa of diabetic rats after ascorbic acid supplementation. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(42): 6518-6524 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/14/6518.asp

Correspondence to: Priscila de Freitas, Department of Morphophysiological Sciences H-79, Enteric Neurons Laboratory, State University of Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790, Maringá 87020-900, Paraná, Brazil. priscilamga2@hotmail.com Telephone: +55-44-30319319 Fax: +55-44-32614340

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