Sulfhydryl protection against dehydroascorbic acid diabetes.

Dehydroascorbic acid has been shown to produce diabetes (1, 2). In this respect it is similar to alloxan (3). Whereas alloxan has not yet been shown to occur physiologically, dehydroascorbic acid is accepted as occurring under physiological conditions in the cells of animals (4). Therefore, it is important to study the factors that are known to affect alloxan diabetes in order to determine their effect in dehydroascorbic acid diabetes. Naturally occurring sulfhydryl compounds, such as glutathione, are believed to exert a protective effect physiologically against diabetogenic compounds (5). Compounds such as cysteine (6), glutathione (6), and 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL) (7) given before an injection of alloxan will protect against the diabetogenic effects of alloxan. When the same substances are injected after alloxan, there is no protection against diabetes. Therefore, the effects of sulfhydryl compounds on the diabetogenic action of dehydroascorbic acid were studied.