Date

2012

Author

Güldağ, Damla

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Type I Diabetes is a multisystem disease having both biochemical and structural consequences. It causes alterations in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolisms due to hyperglycemia. Type I diabetes is also correlated with increased formation of free radicals and decreased levels of antioxidant potential. Lower endogeneous antioxidant amounts and elevated lipid peroxidation levels in diabetes constitute the basis of risk factors for the development of diabetic complications. These complications lead to irreversible damages in nearly all vital organs and systems. Since the antioxidant capacity lowered in diabetic conditions, it becomes important to be able to use some common antioxidants, as a complementary treatment strategy for diabetes. The effect of type I diabetes and the recovery role of Vitamin C on the structure, composition and function of the macromolecular content of testicular tissue is still unknown. Therefore, in the current study, it was aimed to investigate the alterations in the macromolecules of rat testes due to Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type I diabetes using Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR)-Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic and FTIR microspectroscopic techniques. Furthermore it was iv aimed to gain useful information about the recovery role of Vitamin C, as an antioxidant, against the diabetic complications. The detailed spectral analysis revealed that, the macromolecular structure and composition of rat testes are highly affected due to the development of diabetes. The lipid and protein content of diabetic rat testes were shown to decrease considerably, indicating an increase in lipolysis and proteolysis processes. Diabetes was also shown to lead to a decrease in the content of fatty acids and nucleic acids. In addition to the compositional alterations, protein conformation, and protein secondary structural components were also found to alter in diabetic state. Besides, lipid peroxidation levels were found to increase, and the elevated levels of lipid peroxidation products end up with increased levels of unsaturation, and also end up with increased levels of disorderness in diabetic conditions. On the other hand, with the administration of Vitamin C, the diabetes-induced alterations were found to be partially recovered, indicating that after more confirmative researches, Vitamin C may have a chance to be used as a complementary therapy in the treatment of diabetes.

Subject Keywords

Diabetes., Vitamin C

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12614064/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/21356

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis