Antioxidant status in type ii diabetes mellitus patients with or without microvascular complications

Abstract

Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant systems are important factors affecting the metabolism of lipoproteins in diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the lipid and antioxidant parameters in type II diabetes mellitus patients, and also to determine the effect of diabetic complications on these parameters. Lipid status, Oxidized LDL cholesterol, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) levels in plasma of 50 type II diabetic patients were measured with commercially available kits. The results showed only statistically significant higher levels of triglycerides (3.12 +/- 3.9 mmol/l) in diabetics compared with the controls. Ox-LDL cholesterol (84.7 +/- 16.9 mmol/l) and SOD activities (913.4 +/- 120.3 U/gHb) in type 2 diabetes mellitus were higher than those of the controls, but there was no statistical significance. On the other hand, in patients with diabetes mellitus and complications, LDL cholesterol, PAI-1, SOD and GSH-Px activities were higher but not significantly than those without complications. Triglycerides and Ox-LDL cholesterol were lower in the group of diabetic patients with complications in comparison to the group without complications. These results indicate that antioxidant status may be affected in type II diabetic patients and that the rise in some enzyme activities could be a compensatory mechanism to prevent tissue damage. Our results suggest that the rise in PAI-1 in type II diabetics with complications may be a good marker of vascular endothelial dysfunction.