Inhibition of dehydroascorbic acid transport across the rat blood-retinal and -brain barriers in experimental diabetes

Biol Pharm Bull. 2006 Oct;29(10):2148-50. doi: 10.1248/bpb.29.2148.

Abstract

Vitamin C is mainly transported across the blood-retinal and -brain barriers as dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) via a facilitative glucose transporter, GLUT1, and accumulates as ascorbic acid in the retina and brain. To investigate whether DHA transport to the retina and brain is changed by hyperglycemia, [14C]DHA transport across the blood-retinal and -brain barriers was examined using in vivo integration plot analysis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with a 3-week duration of diabetes and in normal rats. Blood-to-retina and -brain transport of [14C]DHA was reduced by 65.5% and 84.1%, respectively, in diabetic rats compared with normal rats, whereas there was no major difference in the heart. Therefore, we propose that hyperglycemia reduces the supply of vitamin C to the retina and brain.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Transport / drug effects
  • Blood-Brain Barrier*
  • Blood-Retinal Barrier*
  • Dehydroascorbic Acid / pharmacokinetics*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Streptozocin

Substances

  • Streptozocin
  • Dehydroascorbic Acid