Background :
@EN The oxidative damages appeared to be involved in chronic diabetic complications. The supplementation of antioxidants in the form of vitamins draws attention as a measure to prevent or retard the progression of the complications. But, vitamin
C,
an
effective antioxidant, acts as a potent oxidizing agent depending on the situation, warranting a prudence in using it as a general antioxidant remedy. In this study, the effect of vitamin C in the diabetes and the effect of rutin, a plant
flavonoid
with
metal chelating effect, were studied on the lung which is among the most vulnerable organs to the oxidizing damages.
@ES Methods :
@EN Diabetes mellitus was induced with streptozotocin in rats and kept for 8 weeks. Vitamin C, rutin or both were given orally for 7 weeks starting from a week after diabetes induction. Lungs were processed for the histological examination and
the
morphometry, using the alveolar septal thickness as an index.
@ES Results:
@EN Vitamin C administered to the diabetic rats caused marked pathologic changes in the lung, while the diabetes itself did not. The increase of parenchyme and the thickening of alveolar septa were observed, with the appearance of fibrocytes.
Rutin
blocked such changes.
@ES Conclusion:
@EN This study showed that vitamin C, a potent antioxidant in general use, caused lung damages in diabetic rats. Since rutin. A metal chelator, reduced significantly such damages, it is suggested that the vitamin C-induced damages in diabetic
rats
are
oxidative damages involving transition metals released in unbound free forms.
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