1. Introduction
The implication of oxidative stress in the etiology of type 2 diabetes
mellitus has widely led to the suggestion that incorporation
of antioxidant-rich foods into the diet can potentially target oxidative
stress pathways and reverse or reduce the progression of type
2 diabetes and development of its related secondary complications.
Erythrocytes and their membranes are favorable models to study
the relationship between diabetes and susceptibility of erythrocytes
to oxidative stress damage. The high proportion of unsaturated
lipids, amino acids and DNA nucleotides represent feasible
targets for attack by reactive oxygen species. Circulating erythrocytes
are continuously burdened by the exposure to high oxygen
tension and being naturally abound to iron (hemoglobin)-a major
transition metal that promotes radical generation through the
Fenton reaction (Puppo and Halliwell, 1988; Prus and Fibach,
2012). Peroxynitrite, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical related
injuries can rupture erythrocyte membranes resulting in critical
functional and structural alterations can seriously jeopardize its
biological role in the body and interfere with the dynamics of blood