[Status of the antioxidant system and sorbitol pathway of glucose metabolism in diabetes mellitus].

It is found that antioxidative activity (AOA) and activity of glutathione-transferase in postmitochondrial placenta fraction of pregnant women with diabetes mellitus is lowered. Depression of AOA in placenta associated with a decrease of UDA and ceruloplasmin amount in blood of the newborns shows the exhaustion of the antioxidative protection system. A decrease of enzyme activity at the sorbitol way of glucose exchange (sorbitol-dehydrogenase and aldose reductase) in placenta reflects accumulation of sorbitol in tissue, which intensifies the damage of membrane structures in placenta.