Effect of Astaxanthin in Combination with α-Tocopherol or Ascorbic Acid against Oxidative Damage in Diabetic ODS Rats

The present study was performed to investigate the effect of astaxanthin in combination with other antioxidants against oxidative damage in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi (ODS) rats. Diabetic-ODS rats were divided into five groups: control, astaxanthin, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, and tocotrienol. Each of the four experimental groups was administered a diet containing astaxanthin (0.1g/kg), in combination with ascorbic acid (3.0g/kg), α-tocopherol (0.1g/kg), or tocotrienol (0.1g/kg) for 20wk. The effects of astaxanthin with other antioxidants on lipid peroxidation, urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) excretion, serum creatinine (Cr) level, creatinine clearance (Ccr), and urinary protein content were assessed. The serum lipid peroxide levels and chemiluminescent (CL) intensity in the liver of the α-tocopherol and tocotrienol groups were significantly reduced in comparison to that of the control group. In the α-tocopherol group, urinary 8-OHdG excretion, serum Cr level, Ccr, urinary albumin excretion, and urinary protein concentration were significantly decreased as compared with those in the control group. Additionally, the CL intensity in the kidney of the α-tocopherol group was significantly lower, but that of the ascorbic acid group was significantly higher than that in the control group. These results indicate that dietary astaxanthin in combination with α-tocopherol has an inhibitory effect on oxidative stress. On the other hand, our study suggests that excessive ascorbic acid intake increases lipid peroxidation in diabetic rats.