Project Description
Previous research has suggested that type 1 diabetes mellitus may be due to oxidative stress. Role of oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes is not known. Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) antioxidant, obtained from flaxseed, has been reported to prevent type 1 diabetes in a rat model. However its effectiveness in type 2 diabetes is not known.
An investigation was made into the effects of SDG isolated from flaxseed on the development of diabetes in ZDF/Gmi™ -fa/fa female rats, a model of human type 2 diabetes, to determine if this type of diabetes is due to oxidative stress, and if SDG could prevent the development of diabetes. A total of 10 Zucker lean control and 26 ZDF rats were used in this study.
Incidence of diabetes was 100% in untreated and 20% in SDG-treated ZDF rats by the age of 72 days. The rats that did not develop diabetes by 72 days of age in the SDG-treated group, developed diabetes later on (age 72-99 days) except 10% of the rats that did not develop for the duration of the study (101 days of age) suggesting that SDG slowed the development of diabetes. Diabetes was associated with an increase in oxidative stress as suggested by an increase in serum malondialdehyde. Also, diabetes was associated with an increase in serum total cholesterol, and triglycerides and glycated hemoglobin A1C. ZDF rats treated with SDG that did not develop diabetes by 70 days of age had no increase in oxidative stress, serum total cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin.
