Oxidative stress in first degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients

Abstract

Epidemiological studies on twins and families have provided a strong correlation for genetic factors contributing to etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Diabetes mellitus is strongly associated with oxidative stress, which can be a consequence of either increased production of free radicals, reduced antioxidant defense or both. The present work was undertaken to study known markers of erythrocyte oxidative stress: malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in first degree relatives of T2DM patients, and plasma antioxidant status in an effort to understand the role of oxidative stress in the etiology of type 2 diabetes. Our results show that the antioxidant potential of the plasma is 14% lower in first degree relatives, the intracellular GSH is lower by 9% and lipid peroxidation measured in terms of MDA is elevated by 20%, compared to normal controls. These findings show that an impaired redox balance may be a cause for disturbance of homeostasis in type 2 diabetic families even before the development of the disease. We hypothesize that that oxidative stress precedes the development of overt diabetic state.