Free Radicals and Related Reactive Species in Diabetes Mellitus and Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Both diabetes mellitus (often simply referred to as diabetes) and metabolic syndrome are prevalent metabolic disorders that pose significant impact on public health. Development of these metabolic disorders involves the complex interactions between genes and environment, and the exact underlying pathophysiology remains to be fully elucidated. Extensive studies in animal models provide ample evidence for oxidative stress as an important pathophysiological component of both diabetes and metabolic syndrome. In line with experimental studies, observational epidemiological studies and interventional clinical trials suggest that oxidative stress may also play an important role in the pathophysiology of diabetes and metabolic syndrome in humans. The increasing recognition of the involvement of oxidative stress in diabetes and metabolic syndrome has prompted extensive research to develop antioxidant-based approaches to the preventive and therapeutic intervention of these prevalent metabolic disorders.

Keywords: Antioxidant intervention, Diabetes, Metabolic syndrome, Obesity, Oxidative stress, Reactive nitrogen species, Reactive oxygen species.

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