ABSTRACT
The aim of the present work was to determine whether, and to what degree, oxidative stress occurs in type I diabetes with and without macrovascular disease and to assess the prooxidant/antioxidant balance in relation to other metabolic control parameters of the disease. The study was carried out on twenty type I diabetic patients without macrovascular disease [group I] and twenty diabetic patients with macrovascular disease [group II].A control group composed of 10 healthy volunteers was also included in this study. All patients and controls were subjected to the following: determination of blood pressure, fasting and postprandial plasma glucose [FPG, PPG], Glycosylated hemoglobin [HbAlc], serum triglycerides [TG], serum total cholesterol [TC], serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], plasma malondialdehyde [MDA], whole blood glutathione [GSH], Erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase [GPx] and superoxide dismutase [SOD], plasma vitamins E and C, serum vitamin A and beta-carotene, serum uric acid, plasma transferrin, ceruloplasmin and iron, and serum copper, zinc and selenium. There was a statistically significant increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, FPG, PPG, HbAlc, serum TG, TC, and LDL-C, atherogenicity ratio, plasma MDA, and serum iron and copper in group II than in group I and the control group and also in group I than in the control group [P<0.0001]. There was a statistically significant decrease in whole blood GSH, erythrocyte GPx and SOD, plasma vitamin C, transferrin, ceruloplasmin and iron, serum HDL-C, ;vitamin A, beta-carotene, uric acid, copper, zinc and selenium levels in group II than in group I and the control group and also in group I than in the control group [P<0.0001]. As regards vitamin E levels, there was no significant difference among the three studied groups, however, when vitamin E values were normalized by total lipids [so called vitamin E status], there was significant decrease in group II than in group I and also in group I than the control group [P<0.0001]. Oxidative stress is an outstanding feature of type I diabetes and is attributed to imbalance between prooxidants and antioxidants in favor of the former. Such oxidative stress appears to be an important component in the complex pathophysiology of diabetes as well as diabetes related macrovascular disease. Supplementation of antioxidants to diabetic patients with and without macrovascular disease may restore prooxidants/antioxidant balance and may be of a benefit to abort the process of oxidative stress