Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: The levels of serum Selectins (P and E–Selectin), membrane potential and antioxidant vitamins were determined in diabetic patients attending General Hospital Owerri, Nigeria.

Materials and methods: A case control study involving 600 persons living with diabetes between the ages of 20 and 60 years attending General Hospital Owerri. Also, 600 apparently healthy persons within the ages of 20 and 60 years served as control. Fasting venous blood was collected for the determination of serum P–selectin, E– selectin, membrane potential, vitamins C and E. The serum selectins and vitamins were estimated using enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELIZA). While membrane potential was calculated using Nerst equation. The Independent Student t test was used for statistical analysis.

Results: The levels of P–Selectin and E–Selectin were significantly higher in diabetes (P < 0.05), when compared with the control. The levels of membrane potential, vitamin C and Vitamin E were significantly decreased in people with diabetes (P < 0.05), when compared with the control.

Conclusion: The result suggests that diabetes could probably be associated with increased P–Selectin and E–Selectin levels which may be useful diagnostic tool for predicting the severity of diabetes. Also the decreased membrane potential could be linked to decreased energy while reduced vitamins in diabetes could be linked to oxidative stress.

Key words: P–selectin, E selectin, membrane potential, vitamin C and E.