Metabolic Abnormality of Serum in Diabetic Disease

Abstract

With a view to studying abnormalities of metabolism in diabetes, measurement was paperelectrophoretically made of serum protein, compound protein, cholesterol, esterified cholesterol and protein-bound polysaccahride levels in diabetic patients and rabbits with alloxan-induced diabetes.Observation was made on the diabetic patients in order to detect the presence of signs of arteriosclerosis and also to seek a relation between sick periods. Comparison of the results between rabbits with alloxan-induced diabetes and diabetic patients was made with the following results:1. In diabetic patients the total protein level and albumin fractions generally showed a decrease. The extent of that decrease was a little greater in those who showed signs of arteriosclerosis. Those patients with signs of arteriosclerosis howed a remarkable increase in the α2-globulin fraction. The longer was the period of illness, the greater was a decrease in the albumin fraction and an increase in the α2- and β-globulin fractions. These changes had the same tendency, though different in extent, in rabbits with alloxan-induced arteriosclerosis.2. There was a decrease in the α-lipoprotein fraction and an increase in the β-lipoprotein fraction. Both the cholesterol and esterified cholesterol levels showed an increase. That increase was marked in patients with signs of arteriosclerosis. An insignificant decrease in the ester/cholesterol ratio occurred in these patients. The longer was the sick period, the greater was that increase. The same tendency was observed in rabbits with alloxan-induced arteriosclerosis. In this case, the relationship between the β-lipoprotein fraction and the cholesterol level was found in diabetic patients and not in rabbits with alloxan-induced arteriosclerosis.3. Glycoprotein fractions (albumin fractions and α- and β-fractions) which had a great electrophoretic mobility exhibited an increase in general, and an increase in the α2-glycoprotein fraction in particular was striking. There was an increase in the protein-bound polysaccahride level along with that increase. The longer was the period of sickness, the greater was the increase in the protein-bound polysaccahride level. On the contrary, rabbits with alloxan-induced arteriosclerosis showed a decrease in the α-glycoprotein fraction, but exhibited an increase in the protein-bound polysaccharide level.