The Metabolic Impact of Vitamin B12 in The Context of Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (Mets) refers to a group of symptoms that increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). One of the most difficult health issues facing the world today is diabetes mellitus (DM). In diabetes, chronic hyperglycemia can cause both immediate and delayed consequences. Cobalamin, or vitamin B12, is a water-soluble vitamin essential for proper neuronal and vascular function, normal hemopoiesis, and DNA synthesis. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of vitamin B12 in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In this study, 30 males’ rats were divided into three groups, for a period of 9 weeks, the rats were injected with vitamin B12. Serum lipid levels, some biochemical, molecular parameters and histopathology of liver and brain tissues were determined. Our results demonstrated that compared to rats in the diabetic groups, the vitamin B12 reduced glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), cholesterol, triacylglycerol (TAG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) levels, and Malondialdehyde (MDA), while vitamin B12 increased vitamin 12, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels (P < 0.05). An upregulation was found in the gene expression in the homogenate of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), leptin receptor (LEPR), and glucose transporter -2 (GLUT-2). On the other hand, there was a significant downregulation in the mRNA expression of Janus kinase3 (JAK3), signal transducer and activator of transcription3 (STAT3), Transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β), and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTPN1). In conclusion our findings suggested that vitamin B12 supplementation can mitigate the Impact of an STZ in diabetic rats. This new research provides further evidence that vitamin B12 may be useful as a treatment for diabetes.