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Diabetes & C-Peptide pp 17–29Cite as

The Effect of Combined C-Peptide and Zinc on Cellular Function

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Part of the book series: Contemporary Diabetes ((CDI))

Abstract

The average adult human has approximately 5 L of blood, of which, nearly 40–45% is comprised of the red blood cell (RBC). The physiological significance of the RBC, its ability to carry and deliver oxygen to organs and tissues that may be hypoxic, is without question. Indeed, the idea of the RBC playing a role in such an important and complex mechanism may seem difficult to understand given that this cell has no nucleus or mitochondria. In fact, to some, this 7 or 8 μm-sized cell, whose life span in a healthy human is about 110–120 days, is nothing more than a simple cell with minimal machinery whose function is solely that of oxygen delivery. However, since the early 1990s, there has been a significant increase in the number of reports providing strong evidence that the RBC, in addition to its role as a deliverer of oxygen, is also a participant in overall blood flow itself [1, 2].

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Dana M. Spence

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  1. Dana M. Spence
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  1. Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Wayne State University, Detroit, 48201, Michigan, USA

    Anders A.F. Sima

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Spence, D.M. (2012). The Effect of Combined C-Peptide and Zinc on Cellular Function. In: Sima, A. (eds) Diabetes & C-Peptide. Contemporary Diabetes. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-391-2_3

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