Advanced Glycation End-products Content Research Articles

Biochemical and Quality Parameter Changes of Wheat Grains during One-Year Storage under Different Storage Conditions

The selection of suitable storage conditions and monitoring of changes in the wheat grains using suitable parameters are of great importance for the sustainability of technological quality and utilization of the entire stored quantity of wheat grains without waste generation until the next harvest. Wheat grains of three varieties, stored for 12 months at three different conditions of environmental temperature and relative humidity (% RH): (1) 40 ± 1.06 °C; 45 ± 3% RH; (2) 4 ± 1.05 °C; 45 ± 4% RH, (3) 15 ± 8.51 °C; and 67 ± 4% RH, were compared for germination percentage, protein and advanced glycation end products content, oxidoreductive and proteolytic enzyme activity, wet gluten content and falling number. A decrease in the activity of guaiacol peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase, as well as an increase in the content of advanced glycosylation end products and the falling number, was observed in wheat grains during storage conditions at 40 ± 1.06 °C; 45 ± 4% RH. On the other hand, storage of wheat grains at lower temperatures resulted in much lower changes in examined parameters, among which advanced glycation end-product content, peroxidase activity and falling number values were the greatest. Based on the obtained results, it can be assumed that changes in guaiacol peroxidase activity and falling number might be used as indicators of improper wheat grain storage.

Immunonutrition: Diet Diversity, Gut Microbiome and Prevention of Allergic Diseases.

Allergic diseases are increasing both in morbidity and mortality. Genetic, environmental, and dietary factors may all be involved in this increase. Nutrition during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early life may play a particularly important role in preventing allergic diseases. Based on current systematic reviews, the intake of specific nutrients has failed to prevent allergic disease. Prevention strategies have shifted their focus to the overall diet which can be described using diet diversity. Infant and maternal diet diversity in pregnancy has been associated with reduced allergy outcomes in childhood. Overall, diet also seems to have a marked effect on the microbiome compared to single foods. Factors that may negate the allergy-preventative effect of overall diet diversity include the addition of emulsifiers, advanced glycation end-product content, and overuse of commercial baby foods. There is a need to perform randomized controlled trials using overall dietary intake to support international food allergy guidelines. These studies should ideally be conducted by multi-professional teams.

Impact of Enhanced Phagocytosis of Glycated Erythrocytes on Human Endothelial Cell Functions

Diabetes is associated with a high mortality rate due to vascular complications. Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to enhanced oxidative stress and glycation. Here, we explored the impact of glycation on human erythrocyte characteristics and capacity to affect endothelial cell function following erythrophagocytosis. Native and glucose-mediated glycated erythrocytes were prepared and characterized in terms of structural and deformability modifications. Erythrocyte preparations were tested for their binding and phagocytosis capacity as well as the potential functional consequences on human endothelial cell lines and primary cultures. Oxidative modifications were found to be enhanced in glycated erythrocytes after determination of their deformability, advanced glycation end-product content and eryptosis. Erythrophagocytosis by endothelial cells was significantly increased when incubated in the presence of glycated erythrocytes. In addition, higher iron accumulation, oxidative stress and impaired endothelial cell permeability were evidenced in cells previously incubated with glycated erythrocytes. When cultured under flow conditions, cellular integrity was disrupted by glycated erythrocytes at microvessel bifurcations, areas particularly prone to vascular complications. This study provides important new data on the impact of glycation on the structure of erythrocytes and their ability to alter endothelial cell function. Increased erythrophagocytosis may have a deleterious impact on endothelial cell function with adverse consequences on diabetic vascular complications.

Albumin at the intersection between antioxidant and pro-oxidant in patients on peritoneal dialysis

Albumin (HSA) is a multifunctional protein and due to its free Cys34 thiol group, represents a main source of free thiols in the circulation. This property of HSA, combined with its ability to sequester redox active Cu(II) ions, makes HSA a dominant circulatory antioxidant. End stage kidney disease (ESRD) is a condition accompanied by elevated oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to examine changes in the antioxidative capacity of HSA and Cu(II) binding affinity in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD), and relate it to the Cys34 thiol group content and other structural changes of this molecule.HSA molecules are modified in ESRD patients subjected to PD, having significantly lower thiol group and bound Cu(II) content, reduced antioxidant capacity, an increased content of advanced glycation end-products and altered conformation. Also, Cu(II) binding capacity of HSA in these patients is impaired, since a significant portion of the high-affinity metal-binding site is unable to interact with Cu(II).Taking into account that the concentration of Cu(II) in the circulation of ESRD patients is much higher than in healthy persons and that Cu(II) binding capacity of HSA in these patients is significantly impaired, HSA may be considered as a novel circulatory pro-oxidant, thus exacerbating oxidative stress.

Dietary Advanced Glycation End-Products Affects the Progression of Early Diabetes by Intervening in Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism.

Epidemiologic studies indicate significant contributions of thermally processed diets to the risk for diabetes and its related renal complications, but the mechanisms relating diet to disease remain unclear. This study evaluates the effects of the diet differ only in the content of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) on early diabetes in Leprdb/db mice. High AGEs diet (60mg CML per kg protein) is fed to mice for 8 weeks. Dietary AGEs associated with diabetic features, including hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and increased mRNA expression of renal chemokines, CCL3 and CXC3L1 are found. Untargeted metabolomics reveal that the high AGEs diet inhibits carbohydrate catabolism and promotes lipid anabolism. Additionally, the high AGEs diet alters the composition of the gut microbiota and indirectly affects the carbohydrate metabolism by altering the plasma levels of glyceraldehyde and pyruvate. However, switching to the lower AGEs diet can relieve most of the symptoms except microbiota composition. The results indicate that dietary AGEs exposure intervenes in the development of diabetes through modulating the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and critically, switching to the lower AGEs diet arrested or reversed diabetes progression. A light-processing dietary intervention that helps to arrest early diabetes is suggested.

Human Achilles tendon mechanical behavior is more strongly related to collagen disorganization than advanced glycation end-products content

Diabetes is associated with impaired tendon homeostasis and subsequent tendon dysfunction, but the mechanisms underlying these associations is unclear. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulate with diabetes and have been suggested to alter tendon function. In vivo imaging in humans has suggested collagen disorganization is more frequent in individuals with diabetes, which could also impair tendon mechanical function. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between tendon tensile mechanics in human Achilles tendon with accumulation of advanced glycation end-products and collagen disorganization. Achilles tendon specimens (n = 16) were collected from individuals undergoing lower extremity amputation or from autopsy. Tendons were tensile tested with simultaneous quantitative polarized light imaging to assess collagen organization, after which AGEs content was assessed using a fluorescence assay. Moderate to strong relationships were observed between measures of collagen organization and tendon tensile mechanics (range of correlation coefficients: 0.570–0.727), whereas no statistically significant relationships were observed between AGEs content and mechanical parameters (range of correlation coefficients: 0.020–0.210). Results suggest that the relationship between AGEs content and tendon tensile mechanics may be masked by multifactorial collagen disorganization at larger length scales (i.e., the fascicle level).

Effect of pulsed electric field on diabetes-induced glycated enzyme, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers in vitro and in vivo

This study focused on the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) on the modification of superoxide dismutase (SOD) to recover its activity (in vitro) and thereby reverse oxidative stress in diabetic mice (in vivo). The result of the in vitro assay demonstrated that PEF could modify the glycated SOD structure through a change in the electrostatic environment of the protein. This modification leads to an 83% and 31% increase in the enzymatic activity of in vitro and in vivo assays, respectively. The in vivo assessment results show a decrease in oxidative stress biomarker indices, advanced glycation end products content, and inflammatory cytokines concentrations. However, the change in blood glucose level is not significant. According to the results, PEF would be effective in diabetes therapy and could be employed as a complementary method.

Contribution of Glycation and Oxidative Stress to Thyroid Gland Pathology-A Pilot Study.

The patho-mechanism of changes in the thyroid gland, including carcinogenesis, is a complex process, which involves oxidative stress. The goal of our investigation was to verify the extent of stress in the thyroid gland related to glycation. The study samples were comprised of blood sera, thyroid, and adipose tissue sections probed from 37 patients diagnosed with thyroid cancers and goiter. Using immuno-enzymatic and fluorometric assays we analyzed the content of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), pentosidine, receptors for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), scavenger receptor class (SR)-A, SR-B, glutathione, malondialdehyde and nitric oxide synthase. In addition to classic AGEs, a recent study detected the melibiose-derived glycation (MAGE) product. We demonstrated the presence of AGEs, MAGE and their receptors of the RAGE and SR-A. In addition, in the control samples of thyroid glands SR-B groups were detected as well as of pathological groups without noticeable tendency to antigen concentration in the area of carcinogenesis. Fluorescent AGEs correlate positively with glutathione, which supports the assumption that glycation stress leads to augmentation of oxidative stress and increase of the intensity of antioxidant mechanisms.

Escitalopram Ameliorates Cardiomyopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Rats via Modulation of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products and Its Downstream Signaling Cascades.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been recognized as a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, studies have shown the prevalence of depression among people with diabetes. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the possible beneficial effects of escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on metabolic changes and cardiac complications in type 2 diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by feeding the rats high fat-high fructose diet (HFFD) for 8 weeks followed by a subdiabetogenic dose of streptozotocin (STZ) (35 mg/kg, i. p.). Treatment with escitalopram (10 mg/kg/day; p. o.) was then initiated for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, electrocardiography was performed and blood samples were collected for determination of glycemic and lipid profiles. Animals were then euthanized and heart samples were collected for biochemical and histopathological examinations. Escitalopram alleviated the HFFD/STZ-induced metabolic and cardiac derangements as evident by improvement of oxidative stress, inflammatory, fibrogenic and apoptotic markers in addition to hypertrophy and impaired conduction. These results could be secondary to its beneficial effects on the glycemic control and hence the reduction of receptor for advanced glycation end products content as revealed in the present study. In conclusion, escitalopram could be considered a favorable antidepressant medication in diabetic patients as it seems to positively impact the glycemic control in diabetes in addition to prevention of its associated cardiovascular complications.

The Relationship between Diabetes Mellitus Type II and Intervertebral Disc Degeneration in Diabetic Rodent Models: A Systematic and Comprehensive Review.

The number of diabetic patients grows constantly worldwide. Many patients suffer simultaneously from diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) and intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), suggesting a strong link between T2DM and IVDD. T2DM rodent models provide versatile tools to study this interrelation. We hypothesized that the previously achieved studies in rodents approved it. Performing a search in the publicly available electronic databases according to our inclusion (e.g., experimental study with clearly outlined methods investigating IVDD in diabetic rodent models) and exclusion (e.g., non-experimental) criteria, we included 23 studies from 1992 to 2020 analyzing different aspects of IVDD in diabetic rodents, such as on pathogenesis (e.g., effects of hyperglycemia on IVD cells, sirtuin (SIRT)1/p53 axis in the interrelation between T2DM and IVDD), risk factors (e.g., high content of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in modern diets), therapeutical approaches (e.g., insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I)), and prophylaxis. Regarding their quality, 12 studies were classified as high, six as moderate, and five as low. One strong, 18 moderate, and three mild evidences of the link between DM and IVDD in rodents were found, while only one study has not approved this link. We concluded that T2DM has a devastating effect on IVD, particularly in advanced cases, which needs to be further evaluated.

Post-translational modification-derived products are associated with frailty status in elderly subjects.

Background Identifying frail elderly subjects is of paramount importance in order to conduct a tailored care. The characterization of frailty status is currently based on the collection of clinical data and on the use of various tools such as Fried's criteria, which constitutes a difficult and time-consuming process. Up to now, no biological markers have been described as reliable tools for frailty characterization. We tested the hypothesis that a link between frailty and protein molecular aging existed. This study aimed therefore at determining whether post-translational modification derived products (PTMDPs), recognized as biomarkers of protein aging, were associated with frailty status in elderly subjects. Methods Frailty status was determined according to Fried's criteria in 250 elderly patients (>65 years old) hospitalized in a short-term care unit. Serum concentrations of protein-bound PTMDPs, including carboxymethyllysine (CML), pentosidine, methylglyoxal-hydroimidazolone-1 and homocitrulline (HCit), were determined by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, and tissue content of advanced glycation end-products was assessed by skin autofluorescence (SAF) measurement. Associations between PTMDPs and frailty status were analyzed using logistic regression models. Results Frail patients had significantly (p<0.01) higher CML, HCit, and SAF values compared to non-frail and pre-frail subjects. By multivariate analysis, only HCit concentrations and SAF values remained associated with frailty status (p=0.016 and p=0.002, respectively), independently of age, comorbidities, renal function, C-reactive protein and albumin concentrations. Conclusions HCit and SAF are significantly associated with frailty status in elderly subjects. This study suggests that PTMDPs constitute promising biomarkers for identifying frail patients and guiding personalized patient care.

Skin autofluorescence, arterial stiffness and Framingham risk score as predictors of clinical outcome in chronic kidney disease patients: a cohort study.

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is predicted by Framingham's CVD risk scores (FRS) but the high CVD-related mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is only partially explained by traditional CVD risk markers. Therefore, there is a need to explore whether other CVD risk markers may improve risk prediction. Although arterial stiffness measured by augmentation index (AIx) and tissue content of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) measured by skin autofluorescence (SAF) are two biomarkers that associate with CVD and mortality in CKD, it is not known how they compare with FRS. We evaluated associations between SAF, AIx and FRS, and their associations with CVD and mortality in CKD patients. SAF (AGE Reader) and AIx (SphygmoCor; adjusted for 75 heart beats per minute) were measured in 261 clinically stable and extensively phenotyped patients with CKD Stage 5 (median age 56 years, 66% male, 20% diabetes; 130 non-dialysed, 93 patients on peritoneal dialysis and 38 patients on haemodialysis). Multivariate receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve analysis and multivariate Cox models followed by C-statistics were used to evaluate CVD-related and all-cause mortality risk associated with SAF, AIx and FRS during follow-up for median 25 months with 46 deaths. In multivariate regression analysis, SAF associated with FRS, haemoglobin, fat body mass index and CVD, and inversely with per cent handgrip strength (HGS). AIx associated with FRS, and inversely with per cent HGS. Associations of SAF and AIx with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), serum albumin, statin therapy and renal replacement therapy were not statistically significant. In ROC analysis, area under the curve (AUC) for CVD mortality ranged from AUC = 0.72 (AIx and FRS, respectively) to AUC = 0.78 (FRS + AIx), and for all-cause mortality from AUC = 0.70 (AIx) to AUC = 0.79 (FRS + AIx). In multivariate Cox analysis, after adjusting for 1-standard deviation (1-SD) of FRS, 1-SD increase of SAF associated with all-cause mortality and 1-SD increase of AIx associated with CVD mortality and all-cause mortality. After further adjustments for hsCRP, albumin and presence of CVD, AIx (but not SAF) remained independently associated with CVD mortality, hazard ratio (HR) 2.14 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.18-3.89] and all-cause mortality, HR 1.74 (95% CI 1.16-2.60). In patients with CKD Stage 5, SAF and aortic stiffness associated with mortality, independently of FRS. After adjusting for additional confounders including inflammation, aortic stiffness remained as an independent predictor of outcome. Since the contribution of SAF and aortic stiffness compared with FRS in ROC curve analysis was relatively modest, this underlines the importance of traditional CVD risk factors in CKD.

Advanced glycation end products as a source of artifacts in immunoenzymatic methods

The most abundant proteins in the arteries are those of extracellular matrix, ie. collagen and elastin. Due to their long half-lifes these proteins have an increased chance to undergo glycation. The aim of this study was to determine relationship between the content of the main extracellular matrix proteins and the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in arteries. In this study 103 fragments of aorta were analyzed by ELISA and immunobloting for the content of collagens type I, III and IV and elastin and the content of advanced glycation end-products (AGE). A negative correlation between the content of collagens type III and IV and AGE (r = −0,258, p = 0,0122, and a weak negative correlation between collagen type III and age of the sample donor (r = 0,218, p = 0,0262) were demonstrated. This result comes as a surprise and it contradicts an intuitive assumption that with more glycation substrate, i.e. matrix proteins, more AGE products are expected. We have concluded that the results of the ELISA tests must have been influenced by the glycation. As a consequence, either modified protein molecules were not being recognized by the antibodies, or the glycation, and formation of crosslinks have blocked access of the antibodies to the antigen. It will conceal the effect of the linear dependence between the result (absorbance/densitometry) from the quantity of protein to which the antibody is directed.

Comorbid Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Add to the Atrial Arrhythmogenic Phenotype in Hypertensive Rats

Introduction: Besides hypertension alone, comorbid obesity and the metabolic syndrome are emerging risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF). This study sought to delineate the development of global electrophysiological and structural substrate for AF in hypertension with and without obesity and metabolic syndrome. Methods: We compared an obese spontaneously hypertensive rat model (SHR-ob, n = 10) with lean spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR-lean, n = 10) and normotensive controls (Ctr, n = 10). Left atrial (LA) emptying function (magnetic resonance imaging) and atrial electrophysiological parameters were measured before the hearts were harvested for histological and biochemical analysis. Results: At the age of 39 weeks, SHR-ob, but not SHR-lean and Ctr, showed impaired glucose tolerance and increased body-weight together with dyslipidaemia. Systolic blood pressure was similarly increased in SHR-lean and SHR-ob when compared to Ctr (252 ± 7 and 242 ± 7 mmHg (n.s.), vs. 155 ± 2 mmHg, p < 0.01 for both). Compared to Ctr, impairment of LA emptying function, rise in total atrial activation time and regions of slow conduction as well as prolongation of inducible AF-duration were more pronounced in SHR-ob than in SHR-lean. Histological and biochemical examinations revealed a more pronounced increase in LA fibrosis and LA gene expression of profibrotic markers like osteopontin, connective tissue growth factor (cTGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and advanced glycation endproduct content in SHR-ob compared to SHR-lean. Conclusions: In addition to hypertension alone, comorbid obesity and metabolic syndrome adds to the atrial arrhythmogenic phenotype by impaired LA-emptying function, conduction abnormalities, interstitial atrial fibrosis, increased profibrotic gene expression and increased propensity for AF.

Increased Stiffness in Aged Skeletal Muscle Impairs Muscle Progenitor Cell Proliferative Activity

BackgroundSkeletal muscle aging is associated with a decreased regenerative potential due to the loss of function of endogenous stem cells or myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs). Aged skeletal muscle is characterized by the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), which in turn influences the biomechanical properties of myofibers by increasing their stiffness. Since the stiffness of the MPC microenvironment directly impacts MPC function, we hypothesized that the increase in muscle stiffness that occurs with aging impairs the behavior of MPCs, ultimately leading to a decrease in regenerative potential.ResultsWe showed that freshly isolated individual myofibers from aged mouse muscles contain fewer MPCs overall than myofibers from adult muscles, with fewer quiescent MPCs and more proliferative and differentiating MPCs. We observed alterations in cultured MPC behavior in aged animals, where the proliferation and differentiation of MPCs were lower and higher, respectively. These alterations were not linked to the intrinsic properties of aged myofibers, as shown by the similar values for the cumulative population-doubling values and fusion indexes. However, atomic force microscopy (AFM) indentation experiments revealed a nearly 4-fold increase in the stiffness of the MPC microenvironment. We further showed that the increase in stiffness is associated with alterations to muscle ECM, including the accumulation of collagen, which was correlated with higher hydroxyproline and advanced glycation end-product content. Lastly, we recapitulated the impaired MPC behavior observed in aging using a hydrogel substrate that mimics the stiffness of myofibers.ConclusionsThese findings provide novel evidence that the low regenerative potential of aged skeletal muscle is independent of intrinsic MPC properties but is related to the increase in the stiffness of the MPC microenvironment.

Advanced Glycation Endproducts in Children with Diabetes

To estimate skin content of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) by measurements of skin intrinsic fluorescence (SIF) from youth with diabetes in comparison with a population of youth and adults without diabetes. Using a specialized instrument, skin AGEs were estimated from skin auto-fluorescence induced at 420 nm and corrected for skin pigmentation (SIF420[kx0.5, km0.5]) in children with types 1 and 2 diabetes, as well as children and adults without diabetes. The effect of age, sex, ethnicity, and diabetes status on SIF420[kx0.5, km0.5] was analyzed. SIF420[kx0.5, km0.5] increased with chronologic age and was higher in children with diabetes compared withchildren without diabetes (P = .0001). SIF420[kx0.5, km0.5] from 43% of children with type 1 diabetes and 55% with type 2 diabetes overlapped the range of adults without diabetes. SIF420[kx0.5, km0.5] was higher in girls than boys in patients with diabetes patients. However, there was no effect of sex or race on SIF420[kx0.5, km0.5] in subjects without diabetes. After 4-6 years' exposure to diabetes, many children will have precociously high estimates of skin AGEs, comparable with levels that would naturally accumulate only after ∼25 years of chronologic aging. Potentially, this technology identifies children who are at increased risk for complications.

Advanced glycation end-products as markers of aging and longevity in the long-lived Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli).

Mole-rat of the genus Fukomys are mammals whose life span is strongly influenced by reproductive status with breeders far outliving nonbreeders. This raises the important question of whether increased longevity of the breeders is reflected in atypical expression of biochemical markers of aging. Here, we measured markers of glycation and advanced glycation end-products formed in insoluble skin collagen of Ansell's mole-rat Fukomys anselli as a function of age and breeding status. Glucosepane, pentosidine, and total advanced glycation end-product content significantly increased with age after correction for breeder status and sex. Unexpectedly, total advanced glycation end-products, glucosepane, and carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) were significantly higher in breeders versus nonbreeders suggesting that breeders have evolved powerful defenses against combined oxidant and carbonyl stress compared with nonbreeders. Most interestingly, when compared with other mammals, pentosidine formation rate was lower in mole-rat compared with other short-lived rodents confirming previous observations of an inverse relationship between longevity and pentosidine formation rates in skin collagen.

Quality of diet, screened by the Mediterranean diet quality index and the evaluation of the content of advanced glycation endproducts, in a population of high school students from Emilia Romagna

This observational study aims to evaluate the eating habits of a population of high school students from Emilia Romagna. 492 students aged between 15 and 19 years (265 females and 227 males) were personally interviewed by a dietician regarding their dietary habits, used to assess the macro and micronutrient composition of the diet, the quality of the diet according to the Mediterranean diet quality index (M-DQI) and the total amounts of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) ingested daily. The analysis of macronutrients showed a deficit in carbohydrates and an excess in fat, particularly saturated fat, when compared to the recommended daily intake (RDA), particularly evident in males (30.9 ± 7.5 vs. 23.9 ± 6.0, p < 0.001; RDA < 20 g). The analysis of micronutrients depicted a deficit in fibres, particularly in females (15.9 ± 4.0 vs. 18.5 ± 4.5, p < 0.001; RDA = 20–30 g), and in vitamin D (3.04 ± 1.80 μg/day; RDA = 10–15 μg/day). Most of the subjects analysed had M-DQI between medium-poor (280/492, 56.9%) and poor (208/492, 42.3%) while none had a very good score and only three females had a good score. Collectively, males had a worse M-DQI with respect to females. Finally, the total amount of AGEs ingested daily correlated significantly and positively with M-DQI (r = 0.283, p < 0.001) and, accordingly, it was significantly higher in males with respect to females. The evaluation of the M-DQI in this population of high school students indicates a loss of food traditions typical to Mediterranean countries, with a consequent imbalance in macro and micronutrients with respect to the guidelines for healthy nutrition. Consequently, there is an increase in the intake of AGEs that could be one of the causes of the increased incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic complications in Mediterranean countries.

Quality of diet, screened by the Mediterranean diet quality index and the evaluation of the content of advanced glycation endproducts, in a population of high school students from Emilia Romagna

Quality of diet, screened by the Mediterranean diet quality index and the evaluation of the content of advanced glycation endproducts, in a population of high school students from Emilia Romagna

Skin autofluorescence in type 2 diabetes: Beyond blood glucose

Background and aim Skin autofluorescence (AF), which has been proposed as a measure of tissue content of advanced glycation end-products, is a predictor of health outcomes in diabetic patients. Aim of this study is the assessment of parameters associated with increased AF in a sample of type 2 diabetic patients. Methods AF was determined in a consecutive series of type 2 diabetic 92 patients aged 69.1 ± 12.4 years. Univariate and multivariate correlations with several clinical and chemical parameters were assessed. Results A significant ( p < 0.01) correlation of AF was found with age ( r = 0.33) and HbA1c ( r = 0.34). After adjusting for age and HbA1c, micro- or macrovascular complications of diabetes were associated with higher AF. Furthermore, a higher AF was found in patients with metabolic syndrome (2.7 ± 1.0 AU versus 2.2 ± 0.7 AU; p < 0.05). Waist circumference, triglyceride, and HDL cholesterol showed a significant correlation with AF after adjustment for age and HbA1c (adj. r = 0.30, 0.29, and −0.27; all p < 0.05). Conclusions Skin autofluorescence in type 2 diabetic patients is associated not only with degree of hyperglycaemia and age, but also with adiposity and metabolic syndrome.