The role of oxidative stress in the development of diabetic neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy may be one of the most common and severe complications of diabetes mellitus. Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the development of microvascular complications of diabetes. The majority of related pathways like polyol and hexosamine, advanced glycation end products, poly-ADP-ribose polymerase, and protein kinase-C all originated from initial oxidative stress. In this review, the authors present the current oxidative stress hypothesis in diabetes mellitus and summarize the pathophysiological mechanisms of diabetic neuropathy associated with increased oxidative stress. The development of modern medicines to treat diabetic neuropathy needs intensive long-term comparative trials in the future.