ABSTRACT
AIMS: The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and lipid peroxidation status in erythrocytes and serum lipid profile parameters, in relation to haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) concentrations, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and in normal healthy individuals. METHODS: Sixty test individuals with diabetes and 15 control individuals were categorized as: Group I, control (non-diabetes); Group II, individuals with diabetes with HbA1c levels ≤7.0% (53 mmol/mol); Group III, individuals with diabetes with HbA1c levels between 7.1 and 8.0% (54 and 64 mmol/mol); Group IV, individuals with diabetes with HbA1c levels between 8.1 and 9.0% (65 and 75 mmol/mol); Group V, individuals with diabetes with HbA1c levels >9.0% (75 mmol/mol). Blood samples were collected to measure: blood glucose and HbA1c levels; haemolysate levels of enzymatic antioxidants and non-enzymatic antioxidants and malondialdehyde (MDA); and serum total cholesterol, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels. Correlations between blood HbA1c values and all parameters were sought. RESULTS: Significantly lower mean activities/levels of antioxidant parameters and significantly higher mean levels of MDA were noted in haemolysate samples from patients with diabetes than in those from control individuals. Significantly higher mean serum concentrations of total cholesterol and triglycerides and significantly lower mean concentrations of HDL-cholesterol were noted in patients with diabetes than in control individuals. Further, moderate to strong correlations were observed between values of antioxidants, MDA and lipid profile parameters and blood concentrations of HbA1c. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that HbA1c values may be potentially useful not only to indicate long-term glycemic control to indicate onset of complications at a clinically detectable level and molecular level.
