PLASMA T-PA AND PAI-1 ANTIGEN CONCENTRATIONS IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENTDIABETIC-PATIENTS - IMPLICATION FOR DIABETIC-RETINOPATHY

Parameters of fibrinolysis, including basal plasma tissue type plasmin ogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI- 1) antigen levels were studied in 49 non-insulin dependent diabetic pa tients (23 men, 26 women: ages 51.3 +/- 14.9 years) and 16 age matched non-diabetic subjects (9 men, 7 women ages 49.8 +/- 12.2 years) as a control group. Compared to a control group, the diabetic patients had a significantly higher mean plasma t-PA antigen (4.94 +/- 2.68 vs 3.20 +/- 2.30 ng/ml) and PAI-1 antigen (34.86 +/- 16.71 vs. 17.60 +/- 15.3 6 ng/ml) levels (P < 0.05). Significant univariate correlations were o bserved between t-PA and body mass index (BMI) (P=0.0009, r=0.7217), a nd PAI-1 were positively correlated with BMI and FBS (fasting blood su gar) in the total diabetic patients (P=0.0003, r=0.7217; P=0.0477, r=0 .2858, respectively). In diabetic patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, both PAI-1 and t-PA antigen levels were significantly lo wer than those of diabetic patients with negative or background retino pathy (P= < 0.05). There were no significant differences of the plasma t-PA and PAI-1 levels between diabetic patients with micro- and macro proteinuria. This study conducted on non-insulin dependent diabetic pa tients suggests that they have significantly higher t-PA and PAI-1 ant igen levels than do control subjects, and these findings appear to cor relate negatively with proliferative retinopathy observed among the pa tients studied.