Effects of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) enriched diet on serum antioxidant activity in pre-and overtly diabetic nod mice.

Preventive (antioxidant activity) and chain-breaking (total peroxyl radical-trapping parameter) antioxidants in the serum of controls and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)-diet enriched nonobese diabetic (NOD) and C57B16/J mice from 5 to 25 weeks of age are measured in this study. A significant decrease in the overall potency of both antioxidant types is demonstrated in NOD untreated controls but not in animals whose diet was BHT-enriched. Therefore, we show that alterations of the antioxidant status in NOD mice is efficaciously counteracted by BHT.