Protective Effects of Vitamin E on Diabetes-induced Oxidative Stress Status and Homocysteine in the Rat Heart

Objective: We aimed to investigate protective effects of vit E on oxidative stress status and homocysteine (Hcy) in cardiac tissue of diabetic rats. Methods: Sixteen Wistar male rats were treated with STZ (streptozotocin) (60 mg/kg) to induce diabetes. Diabetic rats were divided into two groups: NTD (non-treated diabetic) and VETD (vit E-treated diabetic) rats. The VETD group received 300 mg/kg vit E with daily feeding. Eight normal rats of the same age were used as the control group. After 6 weeks, the rats were anesthetized, their cardiac tissue was removed, and homogenated supernatant was separated. Samples were assayed for TAC (total antioxidant capacity), LPO (lipid peroxidation), nitrite (NO2-), nitrate (NO3-), and Hcy. Key Findings: The contents of LPO, NO3-and Hcy in NTD compared to control group indicate a significant increase, but the levels of these parameters decreased in VETD (p < 0.05). There was a significant decrease in the amount of TAC in the NTD group but in VETD group, that significantly increased (p < 0.05). The amount of NO2- in NTD and VETD groups, compared to the control group, did not show any significant changes (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Significant decrease of oxidative stress and Hcy in the cardiac tissue caused by vit E supplementation strongly indicated that this radical scavenger may promote a protective effect on diabetic cardiomyopathy through the attenuation of oxidative stress and increase antioxidant defense mechanism.