SUSCEPTIBILITY OF LDL TO LIPID-PEROXIDATI ON IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENTDIABETES-MELLITUS WITH AND WITHOUT MACROANGIOPATHY

Since oxidized LDL may play a role in the genesis of atheroma, which i s the primary complication of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), we investigated whether the LDL of diabetic patients were mor e prone to oxidation than those of healthy controls. We therefore stud ied the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation by phenylhydrazine (LDL-PO) in NIDDM patients with or without macroangiopathy, and in controls. R esults showed that the LDL of patients with macroangiopathy (n=50) wer e more susceptible to oxidation than those of both NIDDM patients with out vascular complications (n=50) and controls (n=50). In diabetic pat ients, there was a positive correlation between LDL-PO and the followi ng parameters : total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, apo lipoprotein B. In contrast, there was no correlation between LDL-PO an d the parameters of glycemic control (fasting glucose, HbAlc). After a nalyzing the composition of LDL, it appealed that LDL-PO values in dia betic patients were positively correlated with those of all LDL consti tuents. The increase in LDL-PO observed in the group of NIDDM patients with macroangiopathy could be a consequence of an increase in the LDL triglyceride content in these patients.