OXIDATIVE STRESS AND DIABETIC NEUROPATHY: CURRENT STATUS OF ANTIOXIDANTS

There are many studies which advocate the role of amplified production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the development and progression of various diseases affecting human being. Diabetic neuropathy which is one of the common and most troublesome complication of diabetes have also got oxidative stress as unifying mechanism associated with nerve damage followed by structural and functional loss. Oxidative stress forms a common platform where majority of pathophysiological pathways like aldol pathway, advanced glycation end products formation, poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), protein kinase c (PKC) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) overactivation converge. Since oxidative stress leads such a major role in the development of diabetic neuropathy, a large number of antioxidants have been tested in experimental models, many of which have reached clinical trials as well. Moreover, novel strategies such as employing antioxidant which specifically reduce mitochondrial ROS generation, increasing the expression of antioxidant enzymes or externally supplying the antioxidants to strengthen the innate antoxidant defense rekindle the interest in oxidative stress as a fruitful target for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. In this review, we have updated the present status of pharmacological intervention targeted at oxidative stress in diabetic neuropathy. We have also tried to delineate the futuristic strategies against oxidant induced damage in diabetic neuropathy.