Course of Diabetes and Development of Cataracts After Injecting Dehydroascorbic Acid and Related Substances

Abstract

Dehydroascorbic, dehydroisoascorbic and dehydroglucoascorbic acids all produce hyperglycemia in rats that persists with little change over a period of 28 weeks. The animals also have polyuria, glycosuria, polyphagia and polydipsia. They fail to gain wt. normally. This establishes a diagnosis of permanent diabetes. Cataracts occur after a period of weeks. The relationship between hyperglycemia and the time required for the appearance of mature cataracts is described by the equation (x - 5.7) (y - 225) = 1276 where x and y represent the time in weeks and the blood sugar in mg./100 cc. of blood respectively.