Effect of Vitamin C Supplementation on Platelet Aggregation and Serum Electrolytes Levels in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes Mellitus in Rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease condition characterised by hyperglycemia; free radical and abnormalhaematological indices. Vitamin C can reduce free radical generation and ameliorate adverse conditions of diabetes mellitus.The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of vitamin C on platelet aggregation and electrolyte levels in Type 1DM. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups namely control, DM, DM +Vitamin C and Vitamin C groups. Rats weremade diabetic with a single dose of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Vitamin C was administered orally todiabetic and normal rats at 200 mg/kg body weight for 28 days. Blood samples were analyzed for hematological parameters,platelet aggregation, and serum electrolyte levels. Blood glucose in DM+ Vitamin C group (9.9 ± 1.8 mmol/L) wassignificantly reduced (p<0.01) compared to DM group (32.2 ± 2.1 mmol/L) and significantly higher (p<0.05) than control(4.4 ± 0.8 mmol/L). Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration in DM group (12 ± 0.1 g/dL) was significantly reduced (p<0.01) whencompared with control groups (14 ± 0.24 g/dL) and significantly increased (p<0.05) in the DM+vitamin C group (13.5 ± 0.5g/dL) compared with the diabetic group. The mean corpuscular volume values in DM (68.66 ± 0.5 fL) and DM+vitamin Cgroups (68.11 ± 0.4 fL) were significantly higher (p<0.01) than the control (59.49 ± 0.5fL). Platelet count in DM group (523± 8.5 x109/L) was significantly raised (p<0.01) when compared to control (356 ± 6.2 x109/L) and significantly reduced(p<0.01) in DM+ vitamin C-treated group (385 ± 7.8 x109/L) compared with DM group. Platelet aggregation and serumsodium/potassium ratios was significantly reduced (p<0.01) in DM+vitamin C compared with DM group. These resultssuggest that oral vitamin C administration increases haemoglobin, reduced plasma glucose level, platelet count, serumsodium/potassium ion ratio and inhibits platelet aggregation in streptozotocin-induced DM in rats.