Characterization of blood oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: increase in lipid peroxidation and SOD activity.

This study evaluated the oxidative stress through enzymatic and nonenzymatic biomarkers in diabetic patients with and without hypertension and prediabetics. The SOD and CAT (in erythrocytes) and GPx (in plasma) enzymatic activities, plasma levels of lipid peroxidation, and total thiols were measured in the blood of 55 subjects with type 2 diabetes and 38 subjects without diabetes (9 pre-diabetics and 29 controls) aged 40-86 years. The total SOD activity and the lipid peroxidation were higher in diabetics compared to nondiabetics. In stratified groups, the total SOD activity was different for the hypertensive diabetics compared to the prediabetics and normotensive controls. Lipid peroxidation was significantly higher in both groups of diabetics (hypertensive and normotensive) compared to prediabetic groups and hypertensive and normotensive controls. There was no significant difference in the CAT and GPx activities, as well as in the concentration of total thiols in the groups studied. Present data strongly suggest the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of diabetes, revealing that the increased lipid peroxidation has a close relationship with high glucose levels, as observed by the fasting glucose and HbA1c levels. The results evidence the correlation between lipid peroxidation and DM, irrespective of the presence of hypertension.