Potential new metabolic approach for treatment of diabetes mellitus: converting glucose to ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

摘要

Through changing in lifestyle and increasing the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus, its crucial to find new approaches for treatment of this disease. This metabolic disease is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin de ficiency or insulin resistance. This disorder categorized into type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 usually initiate from childhood, have an autoimmune background and associated with destroying of beta cells of pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is defined as insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and usually appears in adulthood. In the process of diabetes, hyperglycemia and oxidative stress can induce diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and cardiovascular disease. According to literature, oxidative stress and chronic inflammation play an essential role in initiation and development of the complications of diabetes. Hence, inhibition of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress besides with glycemic control is important to prevent from these clinical complications. Some researches explained the antioxidant and anti- inflammatory property of vitamin C in patients with diabetes mellitus. Moreover, ascorbic acid can help to better glycemic control in these patients. Thus, we propose a new idea to convert excess amount of glucose to vitamin C for treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus. By performing this idea, we can achieve to better clinical management of diabetes in terms of glycemic control and prevention of oxidative stress which lead to significant decrease in clinical complications.