Taeko Inoue1, John
P. Leach1, Daniela Marcano2, Jacob Berlin2,
Thomas A. Kent3,4, James M. Tour2,5, Robia G. Pautler1
1Molecular
Physiology & Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 2Department
of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA; 3Department of
Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 4Translational
Biology & Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX,
USA; 5Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology,
Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
Diabetes is associated with vascular complications, which increase the risk of premature death. Oxidative stress plays a key role in development of complications. Therefore, many antioxidant-based therapies have been studied in the hopes of combating complications. They have, however, been largely ineffective perhaps due to low potency or lack of targeting. PEG-HCCs are potent nanoantioxidants which we have tested in a mouse model of diabetes mellitus type 1. We found improvements in cortical blood flow of mice after intravenous treatment with nanoantioxidants. These results indicate that nanoantioxidants may prove effective in treatment of diabetic complications where traditional antioxidants have failed.