Inhibition by l-arginine and spermidine of hemoglobin glycation and lipid peroxidation in rats with induced diabetes

The effect of l-arginine and spermidine on hemoglobin glycation and lipid peroxidation in serum of normal and diabetic rats was studied. Five groups of 40 rats were studied during 20 days and compared with a control group (Group I) that consisted of normal rats (N = 6) not treated with l-arginine or spermidine. Group II, diabetic rats (alloxan 120 mg/kg, i.p. at the day 0 and alloxan 60 mg/kg, i.p. at the day 10) were considered as diabetic control. Group III, diabetic rats treated with 10 mM l-arginine (i.p.). Group IV, diabetic rats treated with 10 μM spermidine (i.p.). Group V, normal rats treated with 10 mM l-arginine (i.p.). Group VI, normal rats treated with 10 μM spermidine (i.p.). The rats of each group were divided in subgroups of four each. Rats were anesthetized and blood was taken from aorta to determine glucose, triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), low- and high-density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). We observed that the alloxan concentrations used in this study reproduced the clinical manifestations of disease including hyperglycemia (from 116 ± 7 mg/dl to 435 ± 80 mg/dl) in 96 hours. As a consequence the levels of TGs, TC, LDL, TBARS, and HbA1C were increased, whereas HDL diminished. HbA1C concentration was significantly correlated with the concentration of TBARS. The l-arginine and spermidine injection tended to normalize the glycemia from 24 hours, similarly, hyperlipidemia, TBARS, and HbA1C. From these results, we conclude that l-arginine and spermidine exerted an inhibitory effect of hemoglobin glycation and lipid peroxidation in vivo, which may be relevant in preventing diabetic complications.