Relationship Between Circulating Immune Complexes and Diabetes Mellitus in Cardiovascular Disease at Older Patients

Abstract

BackgroundModifications in immunological function may play a role in both the pathogenesis of some types of diabetes as well as its associated complications. Oxidatively modified lipoproteins (LDL ox) and the composition of lipid fatty acids have the ability to induce an immune response that leads to the production of autoantibodies and therefore to the formation of immune complexes containing LDL in patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting that it contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Objective: In the present study, we determinated oxidatively modified lipoproteins of the circulating immune complexes in two study groups of older patients (aged 71 ± 5 years): a group of patients with CVD (group I) and a group of patients with CVD and type 2 diabetes (group II). MethodsThe LDL content in circulating immune complexes was evaluated by measuring total cholesterol levels in polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) precipitates (immune cholesterol). ResultsResults we obtained for the group II of patients, showed a significant increase for the cholesterol of circulating immune complexes, compared to the group I (20.06 ± 7.35 vs. 9.16 ± 5.81 µg cholesterol/ ml serum). Conclusion: Increased oxidative stress in diabetes may serve to reduce levels of endogenous antioxidants in LDL and thus contribute to an increased susceptibility to oxidation. Thus, circulating immune complexes containing modified LDL are highly proinflammatory contributing to the progression of CVD in type 2 diabetes, indicating that their quantification has a higher predictive value than the traditional risk markers that are currently used.