Increased lipoperoxide value and glutathione peroxidase activity in blood plasma of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic women.

The lipoperoxide values and glutathione peroxidase activity in blood plasma, along with the glutathione peroxidase, catalase and cupro-zinc superoxide dismutase activities in erythrocytes were investigated in 60 women with Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and in 71 healthy women. The mean lipoperoxide value and the mean plasma glutathione peroxidase activity in the diabetic patients were significantly higher than those in the control subjects (lipoperoxide p less than 0.001, plasma glutathione peroxidase activity p less than 0.01). The plasma glutathione peroxidase activities did not, however, correlate with the plasma lipoperoxide values. The erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity was approximately ten times higher than that of the plasma glutathione peroxidase activity, nor did they correlate with each other. In contrast to the findings of other authors on the activities of the protective enzymes in erythrocytes against oxidative damage, there were no significant differences of erythrocytes glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities between diabetic and control women.