Vitamin E delays diabetes onset in the non-obese diabetic mouse.
Vitamin E was administered to non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice to determine if the selective destruction of pancreatic beta cells leading to Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus could be halted by virtue of this vitamin's free oxygen radical scavenger activity. Two groups of NOD mice were treated from 3 weeks of age until 30 weeks of age with either diet supplemented with vitamin E or control diet. Diabetes incidence was recorded as well as the degree of lymphocytic infiltration of the pancreas (insulitis) in animals which did not develop diabetes. Vitamin E did not reduce the incidence of diabetes by 30 weeks of age, however it did significantly delay the onset of the disease (p < 0.01--parallelism test). There were no differences in the degree of insulitis with respect to control mice. We conclude that antioxidant therapy with Vitamin E delays diabetes onset in NOD mice without having an apparent effect on the autoimmune process.
Department of Diabetes and Metabolism, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
P E
PE
Beales
A J
AJ
Williams
M C
MC
Albertini
P
P
Pozzilli
D000818:Animals; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015994:Incidence; D015993:Life Tables; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD / Q000502:physiology*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014810:Vitamin E