Glycation and lipid peroxidation in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus with and without diabetic complications.

Glycation and oxidative stress lead to formation of compounds that have several biological effects and contribute to the development of the complications of diabetes mellitus. All steps of glycoxidation generate oxygen free radicals, some of them in common with lipid peroxidation pathways. Some oxidation or lipid peroxidation products may bind to proteins and amplify glycoxidation-generated lesions. The aim of this study was to measure glycation and lipid peroxidation parameters and examine the relationship between them in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) with (+DC) and without (-DC) diabetic complications. Fifty patients with DM1 aged from 7-19 years and with duration of DM1 (DD) at least 5 years were included. Twenty-four patients were -DC and 26 were +DC. Twelve healthy children formed a control group. There were significantly higher values of fructosamine (FAM), HbA(1c), serum advanced glycation endproducts (s-AGEs) and lipid peroxides (LPO) in the +DC group compared with -DC, and significantly higher values of HbA(1c), FAM and LPO in both diabetic groups than in controls. The s-AGEs level in the -DC group was similar to that in controls. In the total diabetic group, regardless of DC, there was a significant negative correlation between LPO and HDL-C (r = -0.379; p <0.05), and a positive correlation between LPO and triacylglycerol (TAG) (r = 0.852; p <<0.05), FAM (r = 0.414; p <0.05) and s-AGEs (r = 0.454; p <0.05). In the +DC group LPO correlated negatively with HDL-C (r = -0.392, p <0.05) and positively with TAG (r = 0.848; p <<0.05), FAM (r = 0.457; p = 0.02), and s-AGEs (r = 0.516, p = 0.02), whereas in the -DC group LPO correlated only with HDL-C (r = -0.441; p = 0.03) and TAG (r = 0.769; p <<0.05). We demonstrated a linkage between enhanced formation of AGEs and lipid peroxidation products and the presence of diabetic complications. Thus, the overproduction of glycation and lipid peroxidation products may take part in DC development as early as in childhood and adolescence.