Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Glutathione system prevents oxidative stress development in erythrocites. When this system becomes depressed it predisposes a cell to apoptosis.

Aim: To study glutathione system status in patients with diabetes

Materials and methods: Included patients were divided into four groups: group 1–41 almost healthy person (control group), group 2–41 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), group 3–40 patients with T2D and coronary heart disease (CHD) and group 4–88 patients with CHD. Activities of glutathione peroxidase (GP, mmol/min) and glutathione reductase (GR, mmol/min) and concentrations of reduced glutathione (GSH, mmol/l), oxidized glutathione (GSSG, mmol/l) and redox-status (GSH/GSSG) were measured. A1c level was <7.5%, patients with anemia and acute cardiovascular diseases were excluded.

Results: Activities of GP, GR and concentrations of GSH, GSSG and redox-status of glutathione system presented in Table 1. GP activity was increased statistically significant in patients with T2D and T2D and CHD (P<0.05) and GR activity was increased in patients with CHD (P<0.05) compared to control group. Concentrations of GSH was decreased in groups 2 and 3 (P<0.05) conpared to almost healthy persons. But concentration of GSSG was significantly higher only in patients with T2D and CHD. Also CHD was associated with depression of redox-status with maximum decrease when T2D is associated with CHD.

Conclusion: T2D was associated with increased activity of GP. Decreased concentration of GSSG, increased concentration of GSH and depressed redox-status of glutathione system can be used as additional markers for early prognosis of atherosclerosis development in patients with T2D.