METABOLIC CONTROL QUALITY AND FREE-RADICAL ACTIVITY IN DIABETIC-PATIENTS

The role of oxidative/reductive balance derangement in the pathogenesi s of diabetic microangiopathy has often been discussed in the last few years. Therefore, we decided to evaluate the influence of intensive i nsulin therapy on selected indicators of free radical production. The levels of plasma hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and serum malonyldialdehyde (MDA) were estimated in 15 patients with Type 1 and 15 with Type 2 dia betes before and after 2 weeks of intensive treatment. The initial H2O 2 and MDA levels in all cases were significantly higher than in contro ls. After 2 weeks of treatment, the values for both estimated paramete rs were significantly lower; however, they were still higher than in t he control group. Our results seem to confirm the previous suggestions concerning the relation between metabolic disturbances and oxidative stress in diabetic patients.