title: Impaired reductive regeneration of ascorbic acid in the Goto-Kakizaki diabetic rat.
abstract: Ascorbic acid (AA) is a naturally occurring major antioxidant that is essential for the scavenging of toxic free radicals in both plasma and tissues. AA levels in plasma and tissues have been reported to be significantly lower than normal in diabetic animals and humans, and might contribute to the complications found at the late stages of diabetes. In this study, plasma and hepatic AA levels and AA regeneration were studied in the Goto-Kakizaki diabetic rat (GK rat) to elucidate the mechanism of decreasing plasma and hepatic AA levels in diabetes. AA concentrations in the plasma and liver were significantly lower in GK than in control rats. AA levels in primary cultured hepatocytes derived from GK rats were lower than those derived from control Wistar rats with or without dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) in the medium. Among various enzyme activities that reduce DHA to AA, the NADPH-dependent regeneration of AA in the liver was significantly suppressed in GK rats. Northern blot analysis revealed that only the expression of 3-alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (AKR) was significantly suppressed in these rats. These results suggest that decreased AA-regenerating activity, probably through decreased expression of AKR, contributes to the decreased AA levels and increased oxidative stress in GK rats.
authors.affiliation: The National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Division of Geriatric Health and Nutrition, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 162-8636, Japan. kashiba@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kashiba
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kageyama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inayama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kageyama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishikimi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D015096:3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D003683:Dehydroascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015096:3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D003683:Dehydroascorbic Acid