| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 1995 | Volume
: 43
| Issue : 1 | Page : 17-21 |
Does oxidant stress play a role in diabetic retinopathy?
Mohan Rema1, V Mohan1, Anusha Bhaskar2, K Radha Shanmugasundaram2
1 From M.V. Diabetes Specialities Centre, Madras, India
2 Dr. A.L. Mudaliar Post-Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Madras, India
Correspondence Address:
Mohan Rema
M.V. Diabetes Specialities Centre (P) Ltd., 44 Royapettah High Road, Royapettah, Madras 600 014
India
PMID: 8522364
The role of oxidant stress in the causation of chronic tissue damage is being increasingly recognized. Oxidant stress is usually countered by abundant supply of antioxidants. If concomitant antioxidant deficiency occurs, oxidant stress may produce tissue damage. We took up a study on antioxidant status in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients with and without retinopathy and compared them with a control non-diabetic group.
The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly reduced in all diabetic patients, i.e., those with and without retinopathy. However, the lowest levels were found in the diabetic patients with retinopathy. Vitamin E and vitamin C levels were also markedly lower in the diabetic patients. There was a paradoxical rise in the catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the diabetic patients with retinopathy. This may be a compensatory mechanism by the body to prevent tissue damage by increasing the levels of the two alternative antioxidant enzymes.
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