Exploring the Impact of Antioxidants on Nerve Health and Oxidative Stress in Diabetic Neuropathy

Background: Persistent hyperglycemia supports the occurrence of oxidative stress and generation of endogenous free radicals, which subsequently triggers the development of diabetes complications such as peripheral neuropathy. The neurons and Schwann cells are especially susceptible to glycolytic damage due to the change in glucose levels. It has also proposed antioxidants, such as vitamins E and C, to reduce the development of neuropathy and the nerve conduction velocity (NCV). Objective: The aim of the current study was to assess the consequences of antioxidant supplement on a model of diabetic rats and to investigate the effects of antioxidant supplement on NCV. Methods: Diabetes Diabetes was induced in rats by streptozotocin (STZ) intraperitoneal injection. The animals were then divided into six aspects of experimentation. Measurements of blood glucose and anthropometric values were taken. Isolated nerves, NCV was recorded. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data and the Bonferonni post-hoc test was carried out. Results: The level of glycaemic in diabetic rats increased (254mg⁻1dL); but with the vitamin E and C, the level dropped to 229mg/dl and 206mg/dl respectively. Supplementation with vitamin E relieved the NCV deficits in diabetic rats but vitamin C did not achieve any statistically significant effect on NCV. Conclusion: Vitamin E Supplementation enhances nerve conduction in diabetic rats, indicating that it may be used to treat diabetic neuropathy