Current Diabetes Reviews - Current Issue

Owing to the existing evidence of the implication of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the present study aims to investigate the correlation of serum total antioxidant status (TAS) with comorbidities, various biochemical parameters, and duration of T2DM. Various factors contributing to disease prevalence and trends in other biochemical parameters are assessed.

A retrospective observational study of 246 patients with T2DM whose data were retrieved from the Proficiency Health Diagnostic Lab System in Al Ain. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program.

The prevalence of T2DM was found to be higher in gender (male), age (≥45 years), ethnicity (Middle Eastern), BMI (≥25), family history, and metabolic syndrome (hypertension and dyslipidemia). TAS was found to be significantly higher in patients with comorbidities, than in those without, particularly dyslipidemia and micro-albuminuria (p<0.05). TAS was weakly positively correlated with various T2DM biochemical parameters (p<0.05), except for Fasting blood glucose (FBG) (p=0.061). TAS was weakly negatively correlated with BMI (≥25) (p=0.042). Albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) was statistically higher in hypertensives than normotensives (p=0.049). Duration of disease was only significantly correlated with ACR (r=0.325, p=0.001). Uric acid levels were statistically higher in patients with microalbuminuria than in patients without microalbuminuria (p=0.001).

TAS was higher in patients with dyslipidemia and microalbuminuria, suggesting the influence of other factors such as uric acid and lipid-lowering agents. TAS could be an important factor in the management of T2DM cases. This needs to be further investigated in future studies to fill the gap found in the literature.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a prevalent metabolic disorder linked to chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, which contributes to the development of microvascular complications (MVCs) such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic neuropathy (DN). Genetic factors, including variations in the ABO gene, may influence these complications. This study aimed to investigate the association between the ABO rs2073823 polymorphism and the risk of MVCs in patients with T2D, as well as its impact on inflammatory biomarkers, endothelial markers, and lipid profiles.

We conducted an exploratory study involving 96 T2D Iraqi patients (Asian Arabic), examining the distribution of the ABO rs2073823 polymorphism and its correlation with MVCs. We assessed levels of inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6, sE-selectin, sP-selectin), glycemic markers, renal function biomarkers, and lipid profiles. Adjustment was made for confounding factors including age, gender, body mass index, duration of diabetes, and hypertension.

Among the participants, 75% had MVCs, including DR (42%) and DN (65%). The ABO rs2073823 “A/A” genotype was associated with a reduced risk of MVCs under co-dominant (OR=0.16, p=0.045) and recessive models (OR=0.14, p=0.031). This protective effect remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors (OR=0.11, p=0.022). The “A/A” genotype was also linked to lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and sP-selectin. Patients with MVCs exhibited significantly higher levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and sP-selectin.

The ABO rs2073823 polymorphism, particularly the “A/A” genotype, is associated with a decreased risk of MVCs in T2D patients and influences lipid metabolism and inflammatory markers. These findings suggest a genetic basis for the susceptibility to MVCs and highlight the role of the ABO gene in modulating inflammation and endothelial function in T2D. Further research is needed to validate these associations and explore potential therapeutic implications.

FTO gene rs9939609, an obesity susceptible gene, has strong with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Studies have also established an association between the FTO gene rs9939609 and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This research investigated the association of this genetic variant with microvascular and macrovascular complications related to diabetes.

We performed a cross-sectional analysis involving 140 participants with T2DM and 70 healthy control subjects. The DNA samples were analyzed for the FTO gene variant rs9939609 using ARMS-PCR. FTO gene association with diabetes-related microvascular and macrovascular complications was assessed through multivariate logistic regression, with unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals. A p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The genotypic distribution of the FTO gene variant adhered to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the study participants (p>0.05). The AA genotype exhibited a robust association with elevated BMI, HbA1C, SBP, DBP, TGs and decreased HDL-C levels relative to the AT and TT genotypes with (p=0.002). FTO genotype frequency increased from AA to AT to TT in both macrovascular (CVD) and microvascular complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy). Moreover, risk allele(A) was also significantly contributed to CVD (p=0.001), retinopathy (p=0.004), nephropathy (p=0.001), and neuropathy (p=0.002). AA genotype of the FTO gene rs9939609 showed the tendency to increase the risk of CVD (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.07-1.70; p=0.04) and retinopathy (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02-1.87; p=0.001) while no significant changes were recorded in diabetic nephropathy (OR,1.56; 95%CI,1.2-2.43; p=0.67) and neuropathy (OR, 2.49; 95%, 1.52-4.1; p=0.06).

Our data indicate that the FTO gene variant rs9939609 is linked to an elevated risk of both microvascular & macrovascular complications in individuals with T2DM.

Rhodiola rosea is a traditional medicinal plant that has been found to possess several beneficial properties, including the ability to mitigate cardiac ischemia-reperfusion damage, reduce blood lipid levels, prevent thrombosis, and exhibit antiarrhythmic effects.

This study aims to evaluate the potential of rosarin, a key compound derived from the root of Rhodiola rosea, in treating diabetes mellitus using a zebrafish model and in exhibiting anthelmintic (worm-expelling) activity using the Indian earthworm (Pheretima posthuma).

The study design utilizes an experimental approach, incorporating both zebrafish (Danio rerio) and earthworms (Pheretima posthuma) as subjects for testing. The zebrafish were randomly assigned to different experimental groups, including control and treatment groups (e.g., hyperglycemia induction and comparison with Metformin). The zebrafish were studied for a duration of 4 days, during which the glucose concentration was gradually increased. Zebrafish were housed in controlled aquatic environments with daily water changes and hyperglycemia in zebrafish was induced by gradually increasing the glucose concentration, starting with 50 mM for four days while closely monitoring their health and survival. The body weights, blood glucose levels and histopathological studies were noted and compared with the standard drug Metformin. Liver enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) derived from homogenate supernatants of fish viscera were determined using an autoanalyzer. Earthworms were collected from moist soil and randomly assigned to receive varying doses of test Rosarin or the standard drug albendazole in Petri dishes. Observations included changes in color, thickness, diameter, paralysis, and time to death. Dunnett’s test was used to evaluate the statistical significance, followed by one-way ANOVA.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio), three-month-old (500-1000 mg) and Pheretima posthuma (14 cm) were used for this research. The results confirm that the rosarin glycoside at 50 mg/ml showed significant anti-diabetic activity by decreasing blood glucose levels (82.1 ± 0.5 mg/dl) with p<0.001, 95% CI (81.628- 82.572) limits and body weights (2.0 ± 0.047 g) when equated with diabetic control (Blood glucose levels= 135 ± 3.14 mg/dl and body weights =13.4 ± 0.11 g). ALT, AST and ALP levels significantly decreased in the rosarin group when equated to diabetic control. The anti-diabetic effect of rosarin is comparable with standard Metformin (50 mg/ml). In anthelmintic activity, rosarin (75 mg/ml) significantly decreased the length of the worm (9.5 ± 0.36 cm), time of paralysis (22 ± 0.76 minutes) and time of death (40 ± 0.76 minutes). Albendazole (50 mg/ml) is used as a standard drug. The study employed one-way ANOVA to compare the means of various experimental groups, followed by Dunnett's test for post-hoc analysis to evaluate the differences between the treatment groups and the control group.

The results of the current research indicate that rosarin has significantly reduced the blood glucose levels in zebrafish and decreased the time of paralysis and death in earthworms, suggesting its antidiabetic and anthelmintic activity and hence it is further recommended as an ideal candidate for therapy of diabetes and worm infestations.